Section 1 for A Quality Improvement Project: A Smartphone Mindfulness Intervention to Reduce Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Among Healthcare Workers

This will be a 10 (ish) page Section 1 for my Quality Improvement Project in APA 7th Edition format. I have attached my abstract for this paper so you are able to gain more knowledge regarding this topic. I have multiple citations from my Abstract. Any additional Citations must be within the past 5 years. Here is the professors additional instructions: Section I Writing Tips This first section serves to introduce your topic and why it is important to conduct your project. It outlines the problem, background of the problem, and its significance. It defines the overall purpose of your project and your research questions. The section provides enough beginning information for the reader to gain a basic understanding of the project you will be addressing. Introduction and Description of the Problem / Gap This opening paragraph of your project paper should introduce your topic of interest and why it is important. Provide some concise, but impactful, statements about the significance of the topic with statistics on its prevalence and the population it affects. This discussion should lead to, and end with, a clear statement of the problem. Background / Significance This section should provide the reader with any context needed to understand each of the variables of your study. It may contain some meaningful pieces of the literature you will speak about later in Section II literature review, but this should not be an exhaustive discussion of the evidence. This section should also make clear why your project is needed. Provide detailed reasons why this problem is important. Discuss who is affected and the implications for that specific population’s well-being. Consider bio-psycho-social-cultural-spiritual dimensions. Also, include the impact of the problem on other aspects of the healthcare system and/or economics. Organization Assessment Discuss the impact of the problem on the healthcare system and/or economic impact. This section should make clear why your project is needed at the clinical implementation site. Discuss congruence of needs with the organizational strategic plan to include an analysis of institutional culture, readiness for change, feasibility, facilitators, and potential barriers. Purpose / Aims / Objectives The preceding sections should lead to a summation statement of the overall purpose of your project. Define the project objectives and aims in measurable terms. Clinical Question(s) Craft a clinical question(s) to include population, setting, implementation strategy, and outcome. Consider including additional questions about the participant’s perception of efficacy, feasibility, and intent to continue the intervention. Summary A one-paragraph conclusion to the section. TEMPLATE HEADINGS Title Page Abstract Table of Contents Section I Introduction and Description of Problem/Gap Background/Significance Organization Assessment Needs Assessment Organizational Culture Facilitators / Barriers to Change Feasibility Problem/Purpose Statement Clinical Question Aims/Objectives of the Project

A Quality Improvement Project: A Smartphone Mindfulness Intervention to Reduce Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Among Non-Profit Healthcare Workers

Problem

            Healthcare workers who attend to underserved populations are often overwhelmed by demanding workloads, limited resources, and emotional exhaustion (Batanda, 2024). This can impact stress levels, contribute to compassion fatigue and burnout, furthering the potential of job dissatisfaction and comprised quality of patient care (Yi et al., 2024).

Significance

Addressing compassion fatigue and burnout among healthcare workers in non-profit settings is critical because it directly impacts the quality and continuity of care for underserved populations. Studies show that over 50 percent of nurses report compassion fatigue, and nearly 49 percent experience burnout (Yi et al., 2024). Burnout affects provider well-being, contributes to medical errors, and leads to poorer health outcomes. Implementation of evidence-based support can benefit employee retention, enhance care quality, and promote mental health for providers (Batanda, 2024).

Background

Research suggests incorporating a short, structured Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI) into the workday can reduce stress, enhance emotional regulation, and promote resilience (Perez et al., 2022). A study by Ong et al., (2024) identified that MBIs are an accessible strategy that can improve psychological well-being and reduce burnout symptoms across diverse healthcare settings where emotional demands are high, and resources are limited.

Evidence to Support Implementation Methods

Available evidence supports the use of MBIs as effective tools to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue among healthcare workers. The study by Deriglazov et al. (2025) suggests a short tech-based MBI program administered to nurses in the workplace can decrease levels of emotional exhaustion and raise scores on the professional quality of life scale known as ProQOL. Another example of a quality improvement initiative, conducted by Wang et al. (2023), showed online MBIs assisted with coping skills, and increased job satisfaction among employees in a high-stress clinical environment. These findings affirm the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing brief, online MBIs in healthcare environments to support the providers’ well-being.

Purpose and Aims

The purpose of this process is to assess the efficacy of a 5-minute smartphone-based MBI, used twice weekly over two weeks, in reducing compassion fatigue and burnout among healthcare workers at IHS. The specific aims are to: (1) improve participant-reported stress levels and decrease scores by 10% as measured by the pre- and post-Workplace Stress Scale (WSS; The American Institute of Stress, 2024); and (2) measure user engagement and satisfaction with the mobile mindfulness practice through a post-intervention Likert-scale survey.

The study population will be healthcare workers who work directly with vulnerable populations at the Institute for Human Services (IHS), a non-profit organization in Honolulu. The inclusion criteria of this study are the organization's employees who have worked at IHS a minimum of three months and voluntarily agree to participate in the intervention.

 Clinical Question

1) Will five minutes of a tech-based MBI twice a week over two weeks decrease the level of stress among care providers at IHS by 10% as per the WSS?

2) Do IHS care providers find using a tech-based MBI to be easily utilized to complete the intervention?

Project Design, Sample, and Setting

            The project can be classified as a practice improvement project as the goal of this study is to test and implement a short, evidence-based MBI to prevent compassion fatigue and burnout in healthcare staff. A quantitative analysis will be performed as this project involves pre- and post-intervention scores. The WSS will be used to ascertain the efficacy of a 5-minute MBI, conducted through smartphones, twice a week over two weeks.

Project Procedures

            The project aims to implement a 5-minute smartphone-based progressive muscle relaxation body scan MBI, which will be completed twice weekly for two weeks, to IHS employees. These sessions will be conducted during participant specific working hours to ensure maximum attendance. Data collection for this quality improvement project will be collected before interventions are provided (week 0) and after (week 2) the intervention is provided through secure online Likert-style surveys.

Measurement Tools

            The American Institute of Stress’s WSS will be used for the project to obtain pre- and post-intervention data. There will also be a brief user satisfaction and engagement post-intervention Likert-style survey to determine intervention efficacy and utilization.

EBP/Theoretical Framework

The project uses an evidence-based practice (EBP) quality improvement approach to implement a reduction in job burnout, and compassion fatigue for healthcare workers through the use of MBIs (Wang et al., 2023). The framework of the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping states that the project is influenced by the significance of cognitive appraisal and the coping styles when addressing stress (Obbarius et al., 2021).

 References

The American Institute of Stress. (2024, June). The Workplace Stress Scale™ [PDF]. The Marlin Company & The American Institute of Stress. https://www.stress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Workplace-Stress-Scale-2024.pdf

Batanda, I. (2024). Prevalence of burnout among healthcare professionals: A survey at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital. NPJ Mental Health Research, 3, Article 16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-024-00061-2

Deriglazov, D., Halamová, J., & Kernová, L. (2025). Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Compassion Satisfaction Interventions via Mobile Applications: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis. Worldviews on evidence-based nursing, 22(3), e70033. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.70033

Obbarius, N., Fischer, F., Liegl, G., Obbarius, A., & Rose, M. (2021). A modified version of the transactional stress concept, according to Lazarus and Folkman, was confirmed in a psychosomatic inpatient sample. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.584333

Ong, N. Y., Teo, F. J. J., Ee, J. Z. Y., Yau, C. E., Thumboo, J., Tan, H. K., & Ng, Q. X. (2024). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on the well-being of healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. General psychiatry, 37(3), e101115. https://doi.org/10.1136/gpsych-2023-101115

Perez, V., Menéndez-Crispín, E. J., Sarabia-Cobo, C., de Lorena, P., Fernández-Rodríguez, A., & González-Vaca, J. (2022). Mindfulness-Based Intervention for the Reduction of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in Nurse Caregivers of Institutionalized Older Persons with Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(18), 11441. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811441

Wang, Q., Wang, F., Zhang, S., Liu, C., Feng, Y., & Chen, J. (2023). Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on stress, burnout in nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychiatry, 14, 1218340. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1218340

Yi, L., Hu, S., Liao, M., et al. (2024). Prevalence and related factors of compassion fatigue among registered nurses and nursing students during the internship: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Nursing, 23, 956. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02597-2