Data collection
The study aimed to understand the benefits of using the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) approach to reduce stress in nurses. Data were collected from nurses (n=25) working at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN). The assessment was conducted for 8 weeks in the first quarter of 2004. The study adopted a quantitative method of data collection to ensure the application of many statistical computations (Cohen-Katz et al., 2005). Data were collected from nurses who could communicate in English and who did not have a history of suicide or substance abuse. The study participants were either assigned to the treatment group or control group. The qualitative stage of the study involved the analysis of 46 documents that were used to collect data from the study participants. The following tools were used to collect data:
- “Getting to Know You Forms”
- E-mails
- Interviews
- Focus groups
- Final evaluation forms
The methods of data collection could allow study participants to provide wrong responses. For example, a respondent could provide a wrong answer to a question if he or she felt that the answer could expose her private life. To avoid this problem, the study could have used more methods of data collection. For example, the study could have employed observation to collect data. With this method, researchers could record the exact behaviors they observed in nurses participating in the study.
Data analysis
The data collected were analyzed using a thematic analysis of documents used to gather data. A codebook that accommodated 32 items was used to analyze data using a collaborative approach by the research team. To test the codebook, a random selection of 5 interview documents was used. Initially, the codebook method was found to be cumbersome to code all the 32 items in the study documents. To solve the problem, only 6 items were used in the coding process. An agreement was reached when about 2 or 3 researchers provided the same coding results. To ensure thoroughness in the data analysis, the principal investigator coded 41 documents, which were then assessed and verified by the entire research team. After the manual coding, data were entered into the computer and analyzed using NVivo software (Cohen-Katz et al., 2005). The research team erred in reducing the number of items in the codebook because the smaller number of items could have resulted in less accuracy of study findings. The study authors have not provided the type of statistical computations they conducted on the data. It is required that the study authors have to provide the names of statistical tests they use to analyze data.
Practical implications of the study
The study determined that female nurses were the most vulnerable to stress and burnout in the hospital. It was also demonstrated that the factors contributing to stress and burnout were more related to family issues than to work matters (Cohen-Katz et al., 2005). The study has practical implications in nursing care because nursing leaders would develop and implement strategies aimed to improve nursing care using the MBSR approach. The study is also important because it provides a list of questions to explore in the future to better apply MBSR in nurses.
References
Cohen-Katz, J., Wiley, S., Capuano, T., Baker, D. M., Deitrick, L., & Shapiro, S. (2005). The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on nurse stress and burnout: a qualitative and quantitative study, part III. Holistic nursing practice, 19(2), 78-86.