Other Titles
Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Background: Post-pandemic surveys show hospital nurses continue to struggle with anxiety, depression, burnout, and stress, and to a greater degree than before the pandemic1. In 2022, approximately half of nurses surveyed reported an interest in leaving their current job or leaving nursing altogether2. Few studies focus on the use of mental health mobile apps (mHealth) in the hospital nurse population. Exploring interventions to mitigate negative responses to nurse-specific demands and stressors can inform how to help improve the mental health of the nursing workforce3. Improving nurses’ mental health may have a positive effect on job satisfaction and nurse retention4.
Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the results of mental health promotion mHealth apps used to improve the mental health of hospital nurses, to compare intervention approaches used, to explore which mental health outcomes measures have been used, and to determine the sustainability of the effects of each intervention.
Methods: This review followed recommendations by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidance for undertaking reviews in health care5. Inclusion criteria included hospital nurses, nurse practitioners (NPs), and nursing students, utilizing interventions that are delivered solely by smartphone and accessed asynchronously. A comprehensive search was completed in CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Psychinfo, and Embase, and all review components were reviewed by two researchers. Primary outcomes variables of interest were anxiety, burnout, coping, depression, self-efficacy, stress, well-being, and work engagement.
Results: Of the 157 articles screened, 6 articles from 5 studies met inclusion criteria. All participants were hospital nurses, primarily females 30-40 years of age, with sample sizes ranging from 30 to 949.
Intervention types included mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), stress inoculation therapy, psychoeducation, and stress management (SM). Significant results included that MBIs improved anxiety, depression, stress, well-being, and burnout, CBT improved depression and work engagement, SM improved stress and self-efficacy, and SIT improved anxiety and active coping (⍺ ≤ 0.5). Study measures did not extend beyond 12 weeks for four of the six included studies, and post-study follow up in two of the studies did not show sustained effects beyond the study duration.
These results indicate that mHealth apps can be effective in improving the mental health and well-being of hospital nurses but, unfortunately, this was not sustained beyond the study period.
Recommendations: We recommend RCTs with larger sample sizes that may reveal which type of mHealth app and how much exposure to the intervention is more effective in improving specific mental health symptoms. Longitudinal RCTs are also recommended to study sustainability of the mental health improvements.
Notes
Speaker notes available in slide deck.
References:
1. Norful AA, Cato K, Chang BP, Amberson T, Castner J. Emergency Nursing Workforce, Burnout, and Job Turnover in the United States: A National Sample Survey Analysis. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 2023;49(4):574-585. doi:10.1016/j.jen.2022.12.014
2. Annual Assessment Survey - The Third Year. ANA. Published February 28, 2022. Accessed April 20, 2023. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/health-safety/disaster-preparedness/coronavirus/what-you-need-to-know/annual-survey--third-year/
3. Gray P, Senabe S, Naicker N, Kgalamono S, Yassi A, Spiegel JM. Workplace-Based Organizational Interventions Promoting Mental Health and Happiness among Healthcare Workers: A Realist Review. IJERPH. 2019;16(22):4396. doi:10.3390/ijerph16224396
4. Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020–2030, National Academy of Medicine, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. (Wakefield MK, Williams DR, Menestrel SL, Flaubert JL, eds.). National Academies Press; 2021:25982. doi:10.17226/25982
5. Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Systematic Reviews. CRD’s Guidance for Undertaking Reviews in Health Care.; 2009. Accessed November 3, 2022. http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/index_guidance.htm
Sigma Membership
Alpha Alpha Epsilon
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Systematic Review
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Mental Health, Well-being, Hospital Nursing Staff, Mobile Applications, Psychological Well-Being, Health Promotion
Recommended Citation
Moore, Cynthia A. and Kelly, Stephanie, "Can Offering Mental Health Promotion mHealth Apps to Hospital Nurses Improve Mental Health and Well-Being?" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 17.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/17
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-12
Can Offering Mental Health Promotion mHealth Apps to Hospital Nurses Improve Mental Health and Well-Being?
Washington, DC, USA
Background: Post-pandemic surveys show hospital nurses continue to struggle with anxiety, depression, burnout, and stress, and to a greater degree than before the pandemic1. In 2022, approximately half of nurses surveyed reported an interest in leaving their current job or leaving nursing altogether2. Few studies focus on the use of mental health mobile apps (mHealth) in the hospital nurse population. Exploring interventions to mitigate negative responses to nurse-specific demands and stressors can inform how to help improve the mental health of the nursing workforce3. Improving nurses’ mental health may have a positive effect on job satisfaction and nurse retention4.
Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the results of mental health promotion mHealth apps used to improve the mental health of hospital nurses, to compare intervention approaches used, to explore which mental health outcomes measures have been used, and to determine the sustainability of the effects of each intervention.
Methods: This review followed recommendations by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidance for undertaking reviews in health care5. Inclusion criteria included hospital nurses, nurse practitioners (NPs), and nursing students, utilizing interventions that are delivered solely by smartphone and accessed asynchronously. A comprehensive search was completed in CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Psychinfo, and Embase, and all review components were reviewed by two researchers. Primary outcomes variables of interest were anxiety, burnout, coping, depression, self-efficacy, stress, well-being, and work engagement.
Results: Of the 157 articles screened, 6 articles from 5 studies met inclusion criteria. All participants were hospital nurses, primarily females 30-40 years of age, with sample sizes ranging from 30 to 949.
Intervention types included mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), stress inoculation therapy, psychoeducation, and stress management (SM). Significant results included that MBIs improved anxiety, depression, stress, well-being, and burnout, CBT improved depression and work engagement, SM improved stress and self-efficacy, and SIT improved anxiety and active coping (⍺ ≤ 0.5). Study measures did not extend beyond 12 weeks for four of the six included studies, and post-study follow up in two of the studies did not show sustained effects beyond the study duration.
These results indicate that mHealth apps can be effective in improving the mental health and well-being of hospital nurses but, unfortunately, this was not sustained beyond the study period.
Recommendations: We recommend RCTs with larger sample sizes that may reveal which type of mHealth app and how much exposure to the intervention is more effective in improving specific mental health symptoms. Longitudinal RCTs are also recommended to study sustainability of the mental health improvements.
Description
This systematic review is to examine the results of mental health promotion mHealth apps used to improve the mental health of hospital nurses and nursing students. We compared intervention approaches, explored mental health outcomes measured, and determined the sustainability of the effects of each intervention.