College of Nursing and Health Sciences DNP Dissertation Defense of Erika Pettinelli

Tuesday, April 08, 2025 at 9:00am to 11:00am

Project Title: Applying Mindfulness Intervention to Address Self-Care in Hospice Nurses

Student name: Erika Pettinelli, BSN, RN, OCN, CHPN
Date of Defense: April 8, 2025
Time: 9am 
via Zoom

Faculty Mentor: Christine AF Bell PhD RN CAPA WCC

Committee Members:
Gerri-Lyn Boyden PhD, RN, CNE, PMH-BC and Paula Rego, DNP, AGPCNP-BC

Abstract

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) reports hospice care is the second fastest-growing healthcare segment in the United States, with a reported 1.7 million patients enrolled in hospice care in 2020. Hospice care may be more stressful and challenging than previously appreciated. Hospice nurses are exposed to difficult situations in their daily practice that can impact them personally and professionally. Burnout is prevalent among hospice nurses as they are in high demand due to staffing issues, patient crises, and conflicts. Nurses experiencing burnout report job dissatisfaction, and compassion fatigue which may lead to turnover, or leaving the nursing profession. Patients are at risk for lower-quality care and poor outcomes, which can lead to patient or caregiver dissatisfaction with care. Self-care can mitigate the effects of burnout. This scholarly project aimed to determine if a mindfulness intervention affected burnout scores among hospice nurses on a visiting nurse team in Southeastern Massachusetts. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey tool was used to measure emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment pre and post-intervention. Nurses listened to a 10-minute Introduction to Mindfulness PowerPoint then participated in an online five-minute breathing exercise for seven days. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was conducted to determine if the intervention made a difference in burnout scores. Results for emotional exhaustion were statistically significant (p =< .001), indicating the difference between pre and post-test results were not likely due to random variation. Depersonalization (p=.208) and personal accomplishment (p=.776) scores did not reach statistical significance, indicating that the difference between pre and post-test intervention can be explained by random variation.

ZOOM : Contact dhoffman@umassd.edu for ZOOM link
dhoffman@umassd.edu