Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise on Intensive Care Nurses

The Effects of Online Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise on Occupational Stress, Headache and Well-being in Intensive Care Nurses

Nurses who intensive care unit will be entered. Participants will be randomized to one of two study arms:

Arm 1: Progressive muscle relaxation; Arm 2: control. Hypothesis: Progressive muscle relaxation will decrease occupational stress, headache and improve well-being.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Occupational Stress
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Progressive muscle relaxation

Detailed Description

Previous reports have revealed that non-pharmacological approaches such as aromatherapy, massage, meditation, music therapy, breathing exercises, yoga and progressive muscle relaxation exercises (PGE) have been used to reduce stress and fatigue of individuals and improve their well-being.

However, there have been limited studies that directly focus on supporting intensive care nurses who face serious problems with intense work tempo, experience excessive stress, headache, tension, fatigue, are open to psychosocial problems such as anxiety, depression and burnout.

Besides, till date, no study has been conducted to determine the effects of progressive relaxation exercise on occupational stress, headache and well-being for intensive care nurses.

The present study investigates the effects of progressive muscle relaxation in a single-site, 2-arm, assessor-blinded randomized, controlled study of 100 intensive care nurses.

Arm 1: relaxation; Arm 2: Attention matched control. The investigators hypothesize that progressive muscle relaxation will decrease the severity of occupational stress and headache and improve well-being.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Bülent Güngörer, Dr.; Phone Number: +09 312 552 60 00; Email: ankarasehir@saglik.gov.tr

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Cankaya
    • Ankara, Cankaya, Turkey, 06800
      • Recruiting
      • Ankara City Hospital Cardiovascular Hospital
      • Contact: Bülent Güngörer, Dr.; Phone Number: +09 312 552 60 00; Email: ankarasehir@saglik.gov.tr
      • Principal Investigator: Zehra G Metin, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Working in cardiovascular intensive care for at least 6 months
• Having a headache at least once a week
• No physical disability
• Those who do not have a neurological diagnosis (having cerebrovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, etc.)
• No psychiatric diagnosis
• Not applying any complementary methods at the time the research was conducted.
• Nurses who volunteered to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Nurses followed up with the diagnosis of end-stage renal disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, advanced heart failure, chronic liver disease, musculoskeletal problem, hypothyroidism and depression
• Having physical and mental health problems that prevent communication
• Nurses who practiced any complementary method (relaxation exercise, yoga, etc.) during the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Relaxation exercise; Intensive care nurses will apply 20 minutes of online (zoom meeting) progressive muscle relaxation exercise twice a week, for 8 weeks, for a total of 16 group sessions. In order to support nurses' adaptation to the research, the group counselor will remind the nurses by phone twice a week during the implementation process, and their regular participation in online sessions will be supported.	Behavioral: Progressive muscle relaxation; Progressive muscle relaxation exercise is a type of exercise in which tense muscles in your body gradually relax and relax. It is an application that allows you to forcefully stretch every muscle group in your body, hold it tight for 5 seconds, and then relax it. Visualize your tense muscles throughout this exercise and imagine that the feeling of relaxation spreads to all your muscles in the form of a wave and the tension is relieved. Keep breathing throughout the entire exercise.
No Intervention: Control; No attempt will be made during the research.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Occupational Stress	Occupational stress severity will be measured based on patient report by the Occupational Stress Scale. Higher scores indicate increased occupational stress.	Baseline measurements, at the end of 4., 8th week and one week after the completion of the interventions

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in headache severity	Headache severity will be measured based on patient report by the Visual Analog Scale. Lower scores indicate low level of headache.	Baseline measurements, at the end of 4., 8th week and one week after the completion of the interventions
Change in Well-being	Well-being will be measured by the Flourishing Scale. Higher scores on the scale mean better well-being.	Baseline measurements, at the end of 4., 8th week and one week after the completion of the interventions

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hacettepe University
• Collaborators: Ankara City Hospital Bilkent
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Zehra G Metin, PhD, Hacettepe University Faculty of Nursing

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): August 1, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): September 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 20, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 20, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): September 24, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 24, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 20, 2021
• Last Verified: September 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: well-being; relaxation; headache; intensive care units; occupational Stress
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Stress
• Other Study ID Numbers: E2-21-814

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No