Health promotion in nurses: is there a healthy nurse in the house?
Preliminary EvidenceIn Plain Language
The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the health-promoting lifestyle behaviors of acute-care nurses using the Health Promotion Model. Statistical analysis of 149 returned Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II surveys indicates areas of weakness in stress management and physical activity. No significant difference is found between unit, demographic factors, and subscale scores at the p < .01 level, but medical-surgical nurses consistently scored better than the critical-care nurses in health promotion. Findings support the need for the development of holistic nursing interventions to promote self-care in the identified areas. Strategies include educational/experiential classes in holistic nursing; individualized unit-based activities fostering stress management, such as massage, reflexology, and imagery; and development of an employee wellness program.
Key Findings: what this pilot study found
- ✓Acute-care nurses surveyed demonstrated significant weaknesses in stress management and physical activity according to the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II assessment.
- ✓Medical-surgical nurses consistently scored higher on health promotion measures compared to critical-care nurses, though no significant differences were found based on unit or demographic factors.
- ✓Reflexology, massage, and imagery-based interventions are recommended as unit-based stress management strategies to improve nurses' self-care and health promotion behaviors.
What This Means for You
This preliminary study identifies reflexology as one potential stress-management tool nurses could use, but more rigorous research is needed to confirm whether reflexology specifically improves nurse health outcomes.
What This Means for Practitioners
Healthcare organizations may be open to integrating reflexology into employee wellness programs as a stress-management intervention, particularly for high-stress clinical nursing roles.
Study Design: how this pilot study was run
Common questions about this study
What does this study mean in practice?
This preliminary study identifies reflexology as one potential stress-management tool nurses could use, but more rigorous research is needed to confirm whether reflexology specifically improves nurse health outcomes.
What did this study find?
Acute-care nurses surveyed demonstrated significant weaknesses in stress management and physical activity according to the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II assessment. Medical-surgical nurses consistently scored higher on health promotion measures compared to critical-care nurses, though no significant differences were found based on unit or demographic factors. Reflexology, massage, and imagery-based interventions are recommended as unit-based stress management strategies to improve nurses' self-care and health promotion behaviors.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a pilot study and we rate its evidence preliminary. It covers 149 participants. It was published in Applied nursing research : ANR, a Q2 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.
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