Study: Transcendental meditation improves nurse well-being

Transcendental meditation improved the well-being of clinical nurses by decreasing posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and burnout and increasing flourishing, according to a study. Published in the January issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration, the randomized, controlled study included 104 clinical nurse participants at three Magnet-designated hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. TM is a meditation technique in which participants sit with their eyes closed for 20 minutes two times a day to produce a state of inner wakefulness. The authors’ concluded organizations and individual nurses can use TM to support their clinical nurses. Future studies could integrate TM into clinical shifts ─ rather than requiring nurses to practice TM at home ─ and assess its impact on patient and organizational outcomes.