Other Titles
Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gibson et al. 1 first used “Code lavender” to describe part of a bereavement program for NICUs. Since then, code lavender evolved initially to caregiver and health care provider support to now mental health well-being for nurses as part of efforts to decrease nursing burn out. 2 Several hospitals have trialed or implemented a variation of a code lavender program; however, the majority of these focus on inpatient staff and the emergency department. 3–5 There is a dearth of literature about using code lavender in outpatient or ambulatory care settings in general. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss a quality improvement initiative using a code lavender kit in a multi-site orthopedic clinic in the western United States.
METHODS: The PDSA Cycle was used to guide nurse-driven project implementation. Code lavender kits were distributed to the clinics. There were 30 unique participants who completed 38 surveys.
Participants self-reported stress using a 10-point Likert scale, 0 being none and 10 being worst stress possible. Average pre-kit usage stress was reported as 8.57 and average post-kit usage stress was 2.5.
NURSING IMPLICATIONS: In moments of high stress and anxiety, clinic nurses can call a code lavender on themselves and step away from their workspace, using the tools of the code lavender kit to decompress and re-center themselves. Similarly, clinic staff may identify other team members who may benefit from a code lavender kit. The kits were designed as a wellness resource tool to support staff well-being during clinic hours to reduce stress, anxiety, and/or burnout. Furthermore, leadership support of this initiative reinforces the importance of staff wellness and its impact on delivering high-quality patient care.
The orthopedic clinic nurses successfully implemented code lavender kits to promote staff wellness within the orthopedic clinic. Although 30 participants have completed the survey, continual encouragement and monitoring are required to promote this wellness resource tool.
Notes
References: 1. Gibson J, Finney S, Boilanger M. Developing a Bereavement Program in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. 2011;25(4):331-341. doi:10.1097/JPN.0b013e3182307ffe
2. Grant S, Davidson J, Manges K, Dermenchyan A, Wilson E, Dowdell E. Creating Healthful Work Environments to Deliver on the Quadruple Aim: A Call to Action. JONA J Nurs Adm. 2020;50(6):314-321. doi:10.1097/NNA.0000000000000891
3. Burras-Sando J, Jensen M, Wong K. Help me stay afloat. Nurs Manag. 2023;54(2):9-14. doi:10.1097/01.NUMA.0000918204.51275.b9
4. Davidson JE, Graham P, Montross-Thomas L, Norcross W, Zerbi G. Code Lavender: Cultivating Intentional Acts of Kindness in Response to Stressful Work Situations. EXPLORE. 2017;13(3):181-185. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2017.02.005
5. Richard AL, Hornbogen A, Cooper A, et al. A Visionary Think Tank to Address the Nursing Workforce Crisis. JONA J Nurs Adm. 2023;53(11):607-614. doi:10.1097/NNA.0000000000001353
Sigma Membership
Alpha Alpha Lambda at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Stress and Coping, Workforce, Code Lavender, NICU, PDSA Cycle
Recommended Citation
Golo-Atkin, Tania Mae; Shiba, Jodie Mae Bernardino; Colllins, Daniel A.; and Calayag, Danica Jane Austero, "Calm the Bone! Transforming Orthopedic Clinics Into Thriving Work Environments With Code Lavender" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 120.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/120
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
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.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Calm the Bone! Transforming Orthopedic Clinics Into Thriving Work Environments With Code Lavender
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
BACKGROUND: Gibson et al. 1 first used “Code lavender” to describe part of a bereavement program for NICUs. Since then, code lavender evolved initially to caregiver and health care provider support to now mental health well-being for nurses as part of efforts to decrease nursing burn out. 2 Several hospitals have trialed or implemented a variation of a code lavender program; however, the majority of these focus on inpatient staff and the emergency department. 3–5 There is a dearth of literature about using code lavender in outpatient or ambulatory care settings in general. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss a quality improvement initiative using a code lavender kit in a multi-site orthopedic clinic in the western United States.
METHODS: The PDSA Cycle was used to guide nurse-driven project implementation. Code lavender kits were distributed to the clinics. There were 30 unique participants who completed 38 surveys.
Participants self-reported stress using a 10-point Likert scale, 0 being none and 10 being worst stress possible. Average pre-kit usage stress was reported as 8.57 and average post-kit usage stress was 2.5.
NURSING IMPLICATIONS: In moments of high stress and anxiety, clinic nurses can call a code lavender on themselves and step away from their workspace, using the tools of the code lavender kit to decompress and re-center themselves. Similarly, clinic staff may identify other team members who may benefit from a code lavender kit. The kits were designed as a wellness resource tool to support staff well-being during clinic hours to reduce stress, anxiety, and/or burnout. Furthermore, leadership support of this initiative reinforces the importance of staff wellness and its impact on delivering high-quality patient care.
The orthopedic clinic nurses successfully implemented code lavender kits to promote staff wellness within the orthopedic clinic. Although 30 participants have completed the survey, continual encouragement and monitoring are required to promote this wellness resource tool.
Description
This presentation discusses a quality improvement project to bring a Code Lavender program from the inpatient setting to orthopedic clinics. Code lavender programs are successful at reducing nurses’ acute workplace-related stress.