Research Roundup

Check out new studies from Columbia Nursing on stress reduction in nurses, integrating nurses into primary care, diet’s effects on adolescent mental health, home health care infection control policies, and digital health and AI to support nurses. 

Stress Management Interventions Improve Well-Being in Nurses  

Assistant Professor Allison Norful, PhD, and her colleagues investigated an intervention aimed at improving stress management and reducing psychological distress in nurses.  For eight weeks, 25 registered nurses wore Oura© rings, which recorded their heart rate and sleep patterns continuously 24 hours a day. In the latter 4 weeks, they used the PureSomni© sleep kit that included blue light-blocking glasses, a white noise machine, lavender spray, earplugs, a light-blocking eye mask, and herbal tea. Participants completed electronic surveys three times over the course of the study on their mental health, stress levels, and the acceptability of and satisfaction with the intervention. 

Overall, results suggest sleep aids have varying effects on self-reported sleep quality, with potential improvements in sleep latency, or the time between going to bed and falling asleep. Aromatherapy and white noise were the most frequently used devices, while light-blocking glasses were perceived as the most influential on sleep quality. There was a significant reduction in depression among participants before and after the sleep intervention. This study highlights how an intervention geared towards improving sleep may help improve mental health among nurses. 

Clearer Role Definitions, Training Programs, and Evaluations for Integrating Nurses Into Primary Care  

Norful also led a study examining strategies and solutions for better integrating registered nurses (RN) into primary care teams. During the Primary Care Nursing Summit, held in Canada in February 2024, 68 international stakeholders from policy, research, education, and practice participated in structured dialogues on the issue. They identified key obstacles including inconsistent job titles, undefined competencies, inadequate training opportunities, and a lack of metrics to assess RN contributions. The authors propose clearer role definitions and evaluation methods. Ultimately, the study advocates for standardized primary care RN roles, robust training programs specific to primary care settings, and reliable and valid metrics to support policy, practice, education, and research efforts to expand the RN presence in primary care.  

Self-Guided Online Stress Reduction Programs May Improve Well-Being for Nurses  

In this study, Norful and her colleagues explored the feasibility of Carnelian Connection©, a self-guided online occupational stress reduction program for nurses. The program includes on-demand virtual modules that cover topics such as handling death and dying, change in the workplace, and staying grounded with a sense of purpose.  

According to the paper, 60% of the health care workforce report burnout and other poor psychological health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and compassion fatigue. When left untreated, burnout may lead to risks for patients including medical errors and improper treatment. To explore the effectiveness of the program in addressing symptoms of burnout, the researchers recruited 26 nurse residents to complete the nine-week intervention and document their feedback through a pre- and post-survey. They found a significant reduction in perceived stress and anxiety among study participants after the training.   

Improving the Menu Breaks the Cycle of Rough Nights and Feelings for Kids  

Professor Yihong Zhao, PhD, and her colleagues examined how an adolescent’s diet can affect sleep quality and internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression.  

Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, the researchers analyzed associations among self‑reported diets, sleep difficulties, and emotional well‑being for 10,000 kids. Their analyses showed:  

• Kids struggling with sleep or felt blue at ages 9-10 tended to slip towards fattier and sugary foods at 10-11.  

• The poor-food pattern at ages 10-11 predicted even worse sleep and mood at 11-12.  

Based on these findings, Zhao and her colleagues concluded that higher consumption of “power” foods — such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins — was linked to better sleep and fewer “down” or anxious days. In contrast, intake of “junk picks,” like sweets, high‑fat, and highly processed products, went together with toss-and-turn nights and low moods. The study suggests a possible cause-and-effect path: improve the menu, and you can break the cycle of rough nights and rough feelings.  

Significant Declines in Infection Control Policies in Home Health Care after the COVID-19 Pandemic  

Serious declines and gaps in home health care (HHC) infection prevention and control (IPC) policies persist following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study led by Professor Jingjing Shang, PhD.  

Analysis of data from surveys of Medicare-certified HHC agencies in 2019 and 2023 by the research team revealed significant declines in policies for antibiotic stewardship, IV and central catheter infection, and pneumonia prevention, raising concerns about increased infection risk for vulnerable HHC patients. Additional declines were found in IPC training for all staff in 2023, with fewer agencies offering it during new employee orientation. IPC policies were reviewed less frequently in 2023, and more agencies cited staff coverage as the most challenging IPC issue.    

AI and Digital Technology Can Help Alleviate Nurse Burnout  

Assistant Professor Meghan Reading Turchioe, PhD, and her colleagues examined how nurses can facilitate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health technologies in the workplace to help reduce burnout.  

The research team sent a survey to professional nursing informatics organizations across the United States, receiving 52 responses. Their analysis confirmed that nurses had inadequate support when adopting new technologies and were under-involved in new technology development, which contributed to burnout. Participants also noted that digital health technologies could be used to support most nursing tasks, such as patient assessment and evaluating outcomes, and engaging nurses earlier in the training process could help alleviate burnout.