Mizzou Nurse Workload and Well-Being Study

April 30, 2026 updated by: Jennifer Hulett, University of Missouri-Columbia

Exploring the Correlation Between Workload, Stress Level, and Health Status of Nurses Through Wearable Technology and Shift Data: A Feasibility Study

This observational study will evaluate the feasibility of linking nursing workload to burnout and physiological well-being among acute care nurses. Researchers will collect data from three sources: hospital workforce management software, wearable health devices (Oura Rings), and validated surveys. Fifty nurses from intensive care and medical-surgical units at a level one trauma center will participate. The study will also include interviews to better understand workplace stressors. Findings will help identify patterns that contribute to burnout and guide the development of future interventions to support nurse well-being and improve workforce retention.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

50

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Missouri
      • Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65211
        • University of Missouri

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Registered nurses (RNs) working in intensive care and medical-surgical units at MU Health Care

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • RN participants must be at least 18 years of age.
  • Must be a credentialed registered nurse (RN) working fulltime (≥0.75 FTE) in the MUHC University Hospital on the surgical or cardiac ICUs, surgical specialties, or the cardiovascular unit.
  • Must own a smart phone capable of supporting latest version of the Oura app with internet connectivity (Apple iOS15 and higher; Android 8.0 and higher with Google Play services) and Bluetooth 4.0.
  • Ability to wear an Oura ring daily, 7 days/ week (at least 22 hours/day), and adhere to study procedures.
  • Able to complete informed consenting procedures.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known allergy or sensitivity to components of Oura ring.
  • RNs working part-time or per diem
  • Travel nurses
  • Known allergies to the Oura ring
  • Ring finger sizes incompatible with Oura Ring Gen 3 sizes

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Intensive Care Unit
surgical ICU and cardiac ICU RNs
Other: Multimethod data collection
Participants will contribute data through three integrated sources: workload metrics (workforce management software to assess patient acuity and shift characteristics); biometric monitoring (physiological data collected via the Oura Ring); and self-report surveys and semi-structured interviews.
Other Names:
  • Mizzou Nurse Workload and Well-Being Study
Medical-Surgical Unit
surgical and cardiovascular units
Other: Multimethod data collection
Participants will contribute data through three integrated sources: workload metrics (workforce management software to assess patient acuity and shift characteristics); biometric monitoring (physiological data collected via the Oura Ring); and self-report surveys and semi-structured interviews.
Other Names:
  • Mizzou Nurse Workload and Well-Being Study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Acceptability
Time Frame: Enrollment
Acceptability is evaluated based on the number of people who were approached to participate in the study compared to the number of people who agreed to participate. Reported as a percentage rate.
Enrollment
Data completion rate
Time Frame: Enrollment through 10 weeks
Reported as percentage rate of complete data obtained at baseline, 5 weeks, and 10 weeks
Enrollment through 10 weeks
Retention rate
Time Frame: Enrollment through 10 weeks
Reported as a percentage rate reflecting the number of participants participating at study completion compared to the number of participants participating at study commencement.
Enrollment through 10 weeks
Heart rate
Time Frame: Enrollment through 10 weeks
Reported as a numerical value reflecting beats per minute.
Enrollment through 10 weeks
Heart rate variability
Time Frame: Enrollment through 10 weeks
Reported as a numerical value in (milliseconds)
Enrollment through 10 weeks
Sleep duration
Time Frame: Enrollment through 10 weeks
Reported as the total sleep time (hours and minutes)
Enrollment through 10 weeks
Sleep score
Time Frame: Enrollment through 10 weeks
Reported as a numerical value (index value) ranging from 0-100
Enrollment through 10 weeks
Resilience score
Time Frame: Enrollment through 10 weeks
Reported as a numerical score (composite index value) ranging from 0-100
Enrollment through 10 weeks
Patient Acuity score
Time Frame: From enrollment through the end of 10 weeks
The Oracle Health Workload Management Clairvia system operationalizes patient acuity in terms of the intensity of care provided by nursing staff and allows for the direct care time required per patient to be quantified. This allows capture of RNs' workload across the working shift, creating an individualized utilization value that can reported as a numerical value (score).
From enrollment through the end of 10 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The Perceived Stress Scale
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (r = .93) is a 10-item survey measuring general perceived stress over the past 1 month. Scores range 0 to 40; ≥ 14 suggests at least moderate perceived stress.
Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
The Professional Quality of Life Scale
Time Frame: Baseline
The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) is a 30-item measure of burnout, well-being, and occupational stress from the past 30 days. ProQOL subscales include compassion satisfaction (Cronbach's α = 0.88), burnout (Cronbach's α = 0.75), and secondary traumatic stress (Cronbach's α = 0.81). Scores are interpreted as ≤ 22 (low), 23-41 (moderate), and ≥42 (high) levels of the construct being measured.
Baseline
The PROMIS-29 Profile v2.0
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
The PROMIS®-29 Profile v.2.0 assesses 7 domains of mental and physical health, including anxiety, depression, fatigue, physical function, social role, sleep disturbance, pain. Raw scores are converted to T-scores with higher T-scores representing more of the construct being measured.
Baseline, Week 5, Week 10
Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM)
Time Frame: Week 5, Week 10
The Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) is a 4-item, validated implementation outcome survey tool designed to assess how practical and achievable an intervention is within a given setting. Responses range from completely disagree to completely agree.
Week 5, Week 10
Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM)
Time Frame: Week 5, Week 10
The AIM is a 4-item tool that evaluates the extent to which participants perceive an intervention as agreeable, satisfactory, or appealing. Responses range from completely disagree to completely agree.
Week 5, Week 10
Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM)
Time Frame: Week 5, Week 10
The IAM is a 4-item tool that assesses the perceived fit or suitability of an intervention for a specific setting. Responses range from completely disagree to completely agree.
Week 5, Week 10
Qualitative Insights on Burnout and Organizational Stressors
Time Frame: Baseline
Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews exploring nurses' perceptions of stress, workload, and well-being.
Baseline
Hours worked per week
Time Frame: Baseline through week 10
Numerical value reflecting the total number of hours a nurse worked each week.
Baseline through week 10

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Missouri-Columbia

Collaborators

Oura Ring

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jennifer Hulett, PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 26, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 29, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 20, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

November 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 30, 2026

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2101866
  • URC-025-19 (Other Grant/Funding Number: University of Missouri Research Council)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

This is a pilot feasibility study involving sensitive biometric and survey data from a small sample of nurses. Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared publicly due to privacy considerations and the exploratory nature of the study.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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