Other Titles
Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to Virtual Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Among Healthcare Workers [Title Slide]
Other Titles
Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Purpose: Healthcare professionals experience ongoing stress and burnout from heavy workloads and emotional demands. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has strong evidence for enhancing emotional regulation, resilience, and well-being. Despite its proven benefits, adoption remains limited across individuals and organizations. Identifying key facilitators and barriers is essential for sustainable integration into healthcare practice. This presentation explores healthcare workers’ perceived barriers and facilitators to participating in an eight-week virtual MBSR program.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using individual interviews with healthcare workers who completed the virtual MBSR program delivered by certified trainers aimed at improving workplace resilience. Four trained research staff with a graduate degree in nursing conducted interviews via Zoom. Each session, lasting 25–45 minutes, was recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. To ensure rigor, three researchers independently coded the data and used strategies such as peer debriefing, reflexive journaling, and maintaining an audit trail throughout the analytic process.
Results: A total of 36 interviews were analyzed. Most participants were female (85%) and held a college degree or higher (80%), representing diverse roles such as nurses, nurse practitioners, counselors, social workers, physicians, and administrative staff. Participants reported benefits including improved emotional regulation, self-awareness, and reduced stress. Key facilitators were openness to mindfulness, leadership and peer support, family encouragement, accessible recordings, skilled instruction, user-friendly digital platforms, and adequate resources. Reported barriers included time constraints, scheduling conflicts, personal and work distractions, lack of protected time, challenges with the digital format, and concerns about triggering trauma responses.
Conclusions: Successful MBSR implementation requires aligning individual readiness with organizational support. Although participants recognized its personal benefits, sustained engagement depends on institutional commitment to protecting time for practice. Nursing leaders can foster this by modeling mindfulness, integrating brief practices into routines, and encouraging open dialogue on mental well-being. Embedding MBSR in nursing practice enhances holistic well-being, strengthens compassionate care, and builds a resilient workforce.
Notes
Presenter notes available in slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Gamma Kappa
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Stress/Coping, Psychological Stress, Stress Management, Coping, Workforce, Virtual Learning, Mindfulness, Stress Management--Methods, Virtual Reality
Recommended Citation
Chang, Yu-Ping; Bernardo, Tess; Nickel, Allie; and Steeg, Linda, "Facilitators and Barriers to Engagement in a Virtual Mindfulness Program Among Healthcare Workers" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 42.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2026/presentations_2026/42
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
2026-04-28
Funder
Health Resources and Services Administration
Facilitators and Barriers to Engagement in a Virtual Mindfulness Program Among Healthcare Workers
Washington, DC, USA
Purpose: Healthcare professionals experience ongoing stress and burnout from heavy workloads and emotional demands. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has strong evidence for enhancing emotional regulation, resilience, and well-being. Despite its proven benefits, adoption remains limited across individuals and organizations. Identifying key facilitators and barriers is essential for sustainable integration into healthcare practice. This presentation explores healthcare workers’ perceived barriers and facilitators to participating in an eight-week virtual MBSR program.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using individual interviews with healthcare workers who completed the virtual MBSR program delivered by certified trainers aimed at improving workplace resilience. Four trained research staff with a graduate degree in nursing conducted interviews via Zoom. Each session, lasting 25–45 minutes, was recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. To ensure rigor, three researchers independently coded the data and used strategies such as peer debriefing, reflexive journaling, and maintaining an audit trail throughout the analytic process.
Results: A total of 36 interviews were analyzed. Most participants were female (85%) and held a college degree or higher (80%), representing diverse roles such as nurses, nurse practitioners, counselors, social workers, physicians, and administrative staff. Participants reported benefits including improved emotional regulation, self-awareness, and reduced stress. Key facilitators were openness to mindfulness, leadership and peer support, family encouragement, accessible recordings, skilled instruction, user-friendly digital platforms, and adequate resources. Reported barriers included time constraints, scheduling conflicts, personal and work distractions, lack of protected time, challenges with the digital format, and concerns about triggering trauma responses.
Conclusions: Successful MBSR implementation requires aligning individual readiness with organizational support. Although participants recognized its personal benefits, sustained engagement depends on institutional commitment to protecting time for practice. Nursing leaders can foster this by modeling mindfulness, integrating brief practices into routines, and encouraging open dialogue on mental well-being. Embedding MBSR in nursing practice enhances holistic well-being, strengthens compassionate care, and builds a resilient workforce.
Description
This study explored healthcare workers’ experiences in a virtual MBSR program. Participants reported improved emotional regulation and reduced stress. Facilitators included openness to mindfulness, supportive leadership, and accessible resources, while barriers involved time constraints, competing demands, and limited organizational support. Findings suggest that aligning individual motivation with institutional commitment is essential for sustainable MBSR integration and workforce resilience.