Digital Repository Masters Projects Spring 2025 Using Meditation to Prevent Burnout in Research Coordinators Jerica Twitchell Weber State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.weber.edu/collection/ATDSON Twitchell, J. 2025. Using Meditation to Prevent Burnout in Research Coordinators. Weber State University Masters Projects. https://dc.weber.edu/collection/ATDSON This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Weber State University Archives Digital Repository. For more information, please contact scua@weber.edu. WSU REPOSITORY MSN/DNP Using Meditation to Prevent Burnout in Research Coordinators Project Title by Jerica Twitchell Student’s Name A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF NURSING Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing Dumke College of Health Professions WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, UT 26 April 2025 (graduation date) Date Jerica Twitchell, BSN, RN, MSN Student 26 April 2025 Student Name, Credentials (electronic signature) Date Anne Kendrick, DNP, RN, CNE April 26, 2025 MSN Project Faculty Date (electronic signature) Anne Kendrick, DNP, RN, CNE (electronic signature) DNP, N, CNE MSN Program Director Note: The program director must submit this form and paper. April, 26, 2025 Date 1 Using Meditation to Prevent Burnout in Research Coordinators Jerica Twitchell, BSN, RN, MSN Student Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing Weber State University MSN Project 2 Abstract Purposes/Aims: This project aims to assess the effects of meditation on burnout symptoms in research coordinators. Rationale/Background: Burnout is common in research coordinators due to the job demands. They enroll studies and manage data and deadlines while maintaining clinical practice, and communication with participants, principal investigators, clinic staff, and sponsors. Meditation can be an effective, low-cost solution to help decrease burnout symptoms among research coordinators. Methods: Meditation will be introduced to research coordinators through a presentation on the symptoms of burnout and how meditation can decrease those symptoms. Coordinators will be encouraged to meditate regularly over three months. A pre- and a post-project survey will be completed before and after the meditation implementation to assess burnout symptoms and how often meditation was done. The ACE star model will be used to help guide the project. Results: It is anticipated that meditation will decrease burnout symptoms in research coordinators and improve job satisfaction. Conclusion: Meditation can help research coordinators minimize burnout symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, and depression. It can also increase coordinator satisfaction and improve patient experience, outcomes, and research. Keywords: research coordinators, nurses, meditation, burnout 3 Using Meditation to Prevent Burnout in Research Coordinators Nurses report the highest burnout levels among healthcare workers, ranging from 10% to 70% (Ashipala & Nghole, 2022). Burnout is the emotional and/or physical response to being overworked. Symptoms of burnout range from headaches and fatigue to decreased motivation and depression (Ross et al., 2019; Watson et al., 2023). Nurses who are burned out report feeling that the quality of care they give is poor, and patients appear to be less satisfied with burned-out providers (Zhang et al., 2020). High burnout levels are also associated with an increase in drug and alcohol abuse, strained relationships, and suicidal ideation. Meditation has been shown to help decrease burnout symptoms (Bhardwaj et al., 2023; Cohen et al., 2023; Penque, 2019; Pettus et al., 2022; Smith, 2023; Watson et al., 2023). Statement of Problem Due to constant pressure and the importance of medical research, there is much burnout among research coordinators. Zhang et al. (2020) noted that burnout is a response to stressors caused by work that results in “emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment” (p. 1). Additionally, Lee and Cha (2023) suggested that burnout is when the physical, emotional, and mental energy is drained due to too much work. A gap was identified to address burnout symptoms in research coordinators. COVID-19 drew more attention to mental health, especially among healthcare workers (Zhang et al., 2020). Healthcare workers are often told to take care of themselves but rarely given the time or the tools to do so. Burnout can decrease the research coordinators' desire to work and excel, reducing patient outcomes and the data's integrity. Pettus et al. (2023) reported that 52% of nurses reported to the American Nurses Foundation that they were planning to leave their clinical practice due to burnout and systemlevel issues (electronic medical record systems, less time with patients, shortages, and 4 challenging schedules). Smith (2023) noted that burnout can also lead to errors and absence at work, jeopardizing patient outcomes and creating more work for the rest of the team. Significance of the Project Burnout of nurses has been and continues to be a global health issue (Zhang et al., 2020). Addressing burnout symptoms and building emotional resilience can help research coordinators. One way to help bridge this gap is to promote healthy interventions, like meditation, in the workplace (Penque, 2019). A workplace that openly talks about burnout and meditation may help nurse retention. Furthermore, by being open about these topics in the workplace, employees may be more comfortable talking about them and more willing to try interventions to increase their emotional resilience. Burnout can be expensive. Watson et al. (2023) said that the work-related cost of burnout before the pandemic was estimated to be $322 billion worldwide. Burnout can lead to turnover, which is financially costly for healthcare companies and can affect the company's reputation. In healthcare, every 1% increase in turnover is estimated to cost a company $300,000 (Smith, 2023). Not only does turnover cost companies financially, but it also affects the team, which is left to continue doing the same amount of work with fewer people. Decreasing burnout in research coordinators is essential to employee retention and satisfaction, as well as the team's well-being and quality of patient care. Meditation is adaptable and can be used anytime, anywhere, at work or home (Polizzi et al., 2022). Penque (2019) noted that mindfulness training, like meditation, can decrease stress, increasing good decision-making. Additionally, Matko et al. (2022) indicated that meditation increases mindfulness, an awareness of the internal body and thoughts. Smith (2023) defined mindfulness as being aware of what is happening at that moment. Furthermore, guided 5 meditation was found to promote calm reactions to outside stimuli, and there are positive changes in the brain related to stress and anxiety when meditation is practiced over time. Medeiros de Olivera et al. (2019) also noted that meditation decreased the perception of stress regardless of the stress source. As research coordinators are educated about burnout and the positive effects of meditation, this can help empower them to practice meditation and help them with their symptoms of burnout. The literature review goes into greater depth about current data about burnout and meditation. Review of the Literature The incredible amount of stress research coordinators face can lead to burnout and decrease patient outcomes. One technique that can help reduce burnout is meditation. Meditation can be done anywhere and at any time where it can safely be done. This project's PICOT question is: Does applying meditation stress management techniques three to five days a week compared to no meditation affect burnout symptoms in research coordinators? The framework, literature analysis, search strategies, and literature synthesis all aim to look at the effect of meditation on burnout on nurses and research coordinators. Framework The framework chosen to aid this change in practice is the ACE Star Model of Knowledge Transformation (Gawlinski & Rutledge, 2008). Song et al. (2021) said this model helps move research into practice. Lee and Park (2021) discussed the steps in this model. Step one is to discover from research. In this project, step one was accomplished by knowing that there was a large amount of burnout and looking into methods to help decrease burnout symptoms in research coordinators. Step two is to gather the evidence that supports the change in practice. Step two was fulfilled by conducting a literature review and synthesizing the literature 6 into one method to address burnout symptoms; the technique used was meditation. In step three, the data from steps one and two were made into a guideline. This was completed by having meditation recommendations for research coordinators. Step four was to integrate the recommendation from step three into practice. For step four, the plan is for research coordinators to implement meditation. Step five is to evaluate the changes that come from implementation. The plan for step five is to assess burnout symptoms reported by each research coordinator from the pre- and post-project questionnaires determining whether meditation affected the burnout symptoms. This change method was chosen over the other frameworks due to the project population. This framework is based on gathering evidence-based data and making decisions based on the data, as research coordinators do daily. Strengths and Limitations Song et al. (2021) noted that the ACE Star Model of Knowledge Transformation helps identify what evidence-based practice is already known about a topic. The Star Model helps to determine what knowledge, skills, and capabilities are needed to create change. In addition, the model helps this project because there are many ways to address burnout symptoms, narrowing it down to one recommendation to experiment and monitor. Doing so is a strength and a weakness. Working with one recommendation can show how effective it is for some people. However, Zhang et al. (2020) noted that a bundle approach may be necessary. Meditation is a solution for some people; it does not work for others, and a mix of methods may be needed. Other stress management techniques include yoga, mindfulness, counseling, light therapy, guided imagery, music therapy, or exercise. Analysis of Literature 7 The literature review was completed regarding the effect of meditation on burnout symptoms in research coordinators compared to not doing meditation. Stress from jobs can create physical, emotional, and mental trauma and lead to burnout (Ashipala & Nghole, 2022; Lee & Cha, 2023; Medeiros de Oliveira et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2023; Watson et al., 2023). A literature review was completed to gather the current data on burnout and the stress management technique of meditation. The literature synthesis found common themes, which will be discussed in the following section. Search Strategies A literature search was completed using Weber State University’s Stewart Library’s OneSearch, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Articles from 2019 to 2024 were used to ensure the data was accurate and relevant. Keywords used included stress management, techniques, nurses, quality improvement, literature review, qualitative, meditation, and burnout. Synthesis of the Literature When conducting the literature review, three themes were found in the literature: (a) the effects of burnout, (b) the benefits of meditation, and (c) the dissemination of meditation techniques. Each of these themes is thoroughly addressed in the following section. Burnout Stress at work can lead to burnout syndrome (Einthaven, 2023). Employees who have work-related stress suffer seriously detrimental health and social impacts. Burnout is a persistent response to stressors caused by work that cause emotional fatigue, depersonalization, and a decrease in personal achievement (Zhang et al., 2020; Lee & Cha, 2023). Lee and Cha (2023) added that burnout also decreases personal commitment and interpersonal relationships. 8 Moreover, Ashipala and Nghole (2022) reported that emotional fatigue can appear as a lack of enthusiasm, frustration, tension, and fatigue. Ross et al. (2019) noticed that high levels of fatigue and a lack of motivation were barriers to promoting self-care and created obstacles to healthy activities. Depersonalization appears as negative interactions with others or a feeling of uselessness (Ashipala & Nghole, 2022). Physical signs of burnout include fatigue, headaches, decreased sleep, decreased patience, irritation, and depression (Watson et al., 2023). Chronic levels of stress can also affect the physical body; prolonged levels of chronic stress can lead to chronic problems like cancer, depression, heart disease, and hypertension. Nurses have the highest levels of reported burnout, ranging from 10% to 70% of nurses reporting it (Ashipala & Nghole, 2022). Wang et al. (2023) noted that nurses who had high levels of burnout were 43% more likely to quit their job when compared to those who were not burned out (11%). High burnout levels are associated with an increase in substance abuse, broken associations, and suicidal ideation (Zhang et al., 2020). Nurses who experienced burnout also reported feeling the quality of care given was poorer, higher medical errors, and patients appear to be less satisfied with burned-out providers (Bhardwaj et al., 2023; Lee & Cha, 2023; Zhang et al., 2020). Additionally, burnout contributed to extended patient hospital stays (Lee & Cha, 2023). Ashipala and Nghole (2022) completed a qualitative study on 20 nurses in the same hospital across outpatient, pediatric, maternity, and male and female high-care units. Interviews were completed with the nurses who qualified, and a content analysis showed three themes: (a) understanding what burnout is, (b) factors that lead to burnout, and (c) creating an environment that can combat burnout. Other burnout factors noted are the pressure the staff is under, high 9 workloads, and insufficient equipment. Furthermore, poor management and communication between the nurse and the nurse’s job also led to burnout. Meditation Meditation has been shown to help reduce burnout (Pettus et al., 2023). It is a helpful tool that can be done anytime and anywhere. The types of meditation were only sometimes specified in the articles as meditation is a generic umbrella term used most in the literature; lovingkindness meditation and mantra meditation are the two types specified in this review. Matko et al. (2022) explained that meditation turns a person inward, enhancing emotional and physical stimuli processing. Polizzi et al. (2022) completed a study where students (n = 90) completed loving-kindness meditation for 15 minutes. This type of meditation is where a person directs compassion toward themselves and others. The results showed an immediate increase in the student’s affect. Watson et al. (2023) also noted that between loving-kindness meditation and mindfulness meditation, the type did not matter; the results of increased positive mood were the same. Meditation does not have to be done for long periods to help with mood; it just has to be done (Polizzi et al., 2022). Pettus et al. (2023) completed a quantitative cohort analysis. They had a paired t-test completed, and after three months of daily 20-minute mantra meditation, the Professional Quality of Life survey (PQL) burnout scores went from 24.2 to 20.5 (p = 0.152), indicating a decrease in burnout symptoms. In addition, Penque (2019) completed a quantitative quasi-experimental study with nurses (n = 61) monitoring a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. The nurses were professionally trained in meditation and Hatha yoga for two and a half hours a week over eight weeks and had a full-day retreat. These techniques resulted in lower heart rates and more relaxed nurses. Mindfulness training, like meditation, has also been shown to reduce salivary cortisol 10 levels, which is a biomarker that is a result of stress (Wang et al., 2023). Penque (2019) paired ttests showed that nurses who meditated had more self-compassion (p < .001) and empathetic concern (p = .04), as well as less personal distress (p < .001). Each of these categories was statistically significant at the end of the course. The Maslach Burnout Inventory test showed significant results in personal accomplishment at 41 (p = .001). Meditation helped decrease emotional exhaustion, reported at 19.2 (p = .001), and reduced depersonalization, which was reported at 4.6 (p = .001) after completing the course. Showing that meditation can help decrease burnout symptoms. Long-term meditation has been shown to change the self-specifying and self-relational thinking areas in the brain; this can increase personal and social well-being (Wang et al., 2023). Meditation for 15 minutes a day for two weeks also showed an increase in acceptance, with a mean of 78.36 before the meditation intervention and 83.23 after the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (Polizzi et al., 2022). Wang et al. (2023) said that mindfulness has been shown to enhance brain activity, which is linked with positive emotions and better emotional control. Moreover, Watson et al. (2023) completed a systematic review of loving-kindness meditation and its effects on the brain. Comparing the brain of a person who has been doing meditation long term to a beginner showed increased activation in brain regions correlated with empathy during meditation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) on the brain also showed an increase in the areas linked to cognitive processing in people who continued to do loving-kindness meditation (Watson et al., 2023). The MRIs also showed an increase in thickness in the brain's regions associated with learning and an increase in gray matter in the brain where emotional regulation is thought to be controlled. Compared to beginners, those who had been doing meditation long term 11 had a downregulation in the amygdala, which decreases levels of negative emotions and increases positive emotions. Meditation has been shown to decrease burnout symptoms effectively. It is a time and cost-effective method with immediate positive results (Polizzi et al., 2022). Burnout causes depersonalization and puts stress on the emotional and physical body. Meditation has been shown to decrease emotional exhaustion and stress hormones (Penque, 2019; Wang et al., 2023). Meditation can increase brain activity and the actual size of certain parts of the brain (Polizzi et al., 2022; Watson et al., 2023). In coordinators struggling with burnout, meditation can be an effective method to help with burnout symptoms. Dissemination of Meditation Technique Meditation can help decrease burnout symptoms. However, research coordinators need to be taught and trained on this topic. Dissemination of the meditation technique is essential to help decrease burnout symptoms. Ashipala and Nghole (2022) noted that having standardized training for all nurses can help decrease burnout. Camden and Melendez (2023) noted that positive role models can inspire others and that a supportive work environment can impact healthy behaviors. Foster et al. (2021) completed a scoping literature review and found that nurse dissemination was best received through active learning, where the nurses could learn the skill and then practice it. Eklund et al. (2021) completed a randomized controlled trial with a fully online stress management system with a high noncompliance rate (25% of the intervention group completed the study), suggesting that in-person training would work better for this topic. Similarly, Lee and Cha (2023) completed a systematic review and meta-analysis and found that most interventions were completed in face-to-face groups and that support and feedback for the groups are critical for the program's success. 12 Bhardwaj et al. (2023) completed a study that implemented a hybrid program with inperson and video conferencing, using a four-day in-person orientation and weekly online yoga group sessions. Participants had to maintain 75% compliance during the study to be included in the final evaluation (n = 98). After the 12-week course, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and PQL showed a significant difference when compared to the control group (p < 0.001). From baseline to the end of the study, paired t-tests indicated that the MBI and PQL also showed a significant difference (p < 0.001). Wang et al. (2023) reported that when training was consistent, it helped maintain lower levels of burnout. A literature review conducted by Einthaven (2023) of 30 studies showed that of 25 intervention programs, 80% were effective in reducing burnout. The interventions used in these studies included progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, biofeedback, breathing techniques, facial expression recognition, dappled light, 10 different types of yoga, and virtual reality biofeedback. The literature review included workers from many disciplines, including intensive care units, oncology units, mental health units, institution review boards, private and public hospitals, and nurses in the United States, Canada, and South Africa. The author concluded that teaching workers to manage stress in their environment can change their perception of stress, reducing stress complaints. Face-to-face training and meditation with a group can be helpful but not always timeeffective for busy research coordinators. Applications can also aid research coordinators in doing meditation. The Headspace application is also an option for research coordinators. Smith (2023) reported that in a randomized controlled trial (n = 87), participants used the Headspace app for eight weeks and reported decreased stress and irritability. Smith (2023) then completed a study where nurses did 10 minutes of meditation four days a week for eight weeks. Nurses had to be 75% compliant to be included in the final analysis. PQL 5 survey was given before the eight 13 weeks, and then again after and paired t-tests were completed; the decrease in burnout levels was significant (p = 0.021). Using an app for meditation decreased burnout levels. However, this was a small sample, with ten nurses starting the study and eight completing it. Another training and teaching point is deciding when to meditate. Meditation can be done at any point in the day. However, Einthaven (2023) reported that the best practice is to meditate in the morning. Meditation in the morning is more likely to become a long-term habit (completed more than 180 days) than when it is completed at night. Overall, consistent face-to-face training can help decrease burnout symptoms in research coordinators. Teaching coordinators to meditate in the morning can help establish an effective routine. An application like Headspace can also be helpful. Summary of Literature Review Findings and Application to the Project The literature shows that burnout can cause significant physical, emotional, and mental health problems. Meditation can help decrease burnout symptoms and support the research coordinator's self-awareness. Continuing meditation can change the brain, which helps protect it during stressful situations. Training and dissemination of this information are needed to help research coordinators be aware of burnout symptoms and meditation effects. Meditation dissemination and follow-up are vital to decreasing burnout among research coordinators. Project Plan and Implementation The project plan will be implemented in each clinic according to the recommendations found in the literature review. The plan is to have coordinators complete meditation to see if burnout symptoms will decrease. The plan, implementation, deliverables, and interdisciplinary team are listed below. Plan and Implementation Process 14 The information regarding the effects of meditation will be shown in a PowerPoint presentation to the research coordinators, which will be introduced and discussed at a team meeting. Included in the presentation will be a demonstration of how to do meditation. A presurvey will be given at the end of the presentation so that the research coordinators can rate their burnout symptoms. The pre-survey will measure the burnout symptoms of each coordinator. It will also collect information on whether the coordinator has done meditation in the past or is currently doing it. This will help to show if meditation is decreasing burnout symptoms. Different types of meditation will be discussed in the presentation, giving each coordinator the option to choose what type of meditation will work best for them. Einthaven (2023) noted that meditation is usually adhered to better if it is completed in the morning. The implementation plan will encourage coordinators to come to work and do 10 minutes of their chosen form of meditation before seeing patients and starting their day. If meditation in the morning is not feasible, it can be done at any time. The goal is for coordinators to do 10 minutes of meditation three to five days a week for three months. Meditation can occur in the coordinator’s office or at the coordinator’s house if they do not want to do it at work. A diary will be given to each coordinator to track what days and how long meditation was completed. Meditation can be completed individually or in a group with other coordinators. After three months, each coordinator will return their diary to the project lead and complete a post-survey. Interdisciplinary Team The interdisciplinary team for this project includes a pediatrician and the Stress Relief Center director at Weber State University. The pediatrician has been involved in pediatric research for over twenty years. He is part of the team because of his vast research knowledge, 15 behind-the-scenes information, and understanding of the stress research coordinator’s experience. He brings credibility to the project through his experience. The director of Weber State University’s Stress Relief Center, who has extensive knowledge of meditation and stress management, also reviewed the information for this project. He is also a professor at Weber State University and has authored several books about stress management. His knowledge of meditation and its effects on daily life has been vital to this project. Research coordinators are also part of the team for this project. The research coordinators include nurses and medical assistants who work in the research clinic that is part of a large health system in the Western United States. Having the coordinators use the method of meditation to help decrease burnout and stress levels while increasing empathy, cognitive processing, and selfcompassion can have a positive impact on patient outcomes (Penque, 2019; Wang et al., 2023; Watson et al., 2023). The goal is that by doing meditation, research coordinators can better handle the stress of doing their job correctly and better manage stressful time frames and deadlines. Description and Development of Project Deliverables Project deliverables can help teach the project's purpose, educate on the importance of the topic, train coordinators, and inspire them to join the project. Below is a description of each of the deliverables and how they will be used. PowerPoint Presentation. A PowerPoint presentation (see Appendix A) was created to explain the symptoms of burnout and the benefits of meditation for the research coordinators. The symptoms and benefits listed on the deliverables were found in the literature review. Smith 16 (2023) suggested doing meditation daily for 10 minutes, which is addressed in the PowerPoint presentation. Infographic. An infographic (see Appendix B) was created to help explain burnout and highlight meditation's benefits. The infographic can be put in each coordinator’s office to remind them of burnout symptoms and the advantages of meditation. Pre-survey. A pre-survey (see Appendix C) was created to identify the burnout symptoms of research coordinators and their meditation experience before the intervention. A Likert scale was used to measure the amount of burnout symptoms and how often they occur. Post-survey. A post-survey (see Appendix D) was created to identify if there was a change in burnout symptoms and determine the use of meditation after three months. The postsurvey contained the same questions as the pre-survey, with four additional questions addressing how often meditation was completed, any benefits or downsides, and any barriers noted. Reminder Card. A 3-inch by 5-inch reminder card (see Appendix E) was also made that the coordinators could put at their desks or at home to remind them to complete meditation and its benefits. This is meant to be a reminder to help with meditation compliance over three months. Timeline This project's implementation timeline (see Appendix F) will occur over three months. For the first step of the implementation, the PowerPoint will be used to introduce the project at a team meeting. The research coordinators will also be given an example of a 10-minute meditation that will be completed with the project lead during the team meeting. This way, the coordinators will know what the expectations are. After the presentation, each coordinator who wants to participate in the project will complete the pre-survey. The infographic and meditation 17 reminder card will be given after completing the survey. The next step will be, after three months, the coordinators will meet again and complete a post-survey. The post-survey has the same questions as the pre-survey and asks about the symptoms of burnout again. The final step is evaluating the project data. Comparing the pre- and post-surveys can show the effect of meditation on burnout symptoms. The overall goal is to decrease burnout symptoms by using meditation. Project Evaluation The formative assessment of the project will be completed by discussing meditation and how to complete it during the PowerPoint presentation. The project lead will be available over email and text to answer any questions or concerns the coordinators have before, during, and after implementation. Feedback will also be welcomed at any time during the three months the intervention is used. The coordinators will complete a pre- and post-survey to evaluate this project's summative effectiveness. The data will be analyzed in Google Forms to compare the burnout symptoms and their frequency before and after the implementation of meditation to see if burnout symptoms have decreased. Ethical Considerations The study will be open to all research coordinators who want to participate in the project. If a coordinator did not complete the 3 months of meditation, his or her data will not be included in the final project data analysis. To help protect data integrity, each coordinator will complete the pre-survey and post-survey individually. Participants' names will not be associated with the surveys. The information will be kept confidential on a password-protected computer. Participation in the project is voluntary. The project presentation, pre-survey, and post-survey 18 will be completed at the end of team meetings, so if a coordinator does not want to participate, they do not have to. Discussion The project lead expects to see a decrease in burnout symptoms after adding ten minutes of meditation three to five days a week. Meditation has been shown to decrease the response to the body’s stress response (Blevins, 2024; Medeiros de Olivera et al., 2019). Based on how they feel after doing it, the project lead anticipates research coordinators will continue meditating after the project is completed. The project lead recommends that this practice be continued and discussed with new team members by adding the meditation PowerPoint and the results from their fellow research coordinators to onboarding training. Project dissemination, benefits of meditation and its effects on burnout, strengths and limitations, and recommendations are discussed further in this section. Evidence-based Solutions for Dissemination The results of this project will be disseminated through a poster presentation to peers and faculty in the academic setting. At the end of a team meeting, the research coordinators will be updated on the data analyzed from the pre- and post-surveys. The data will also be disseminated during the onboarding training of new research coordinators. Significance to Advance Nursing Practice Research coordinators are on the cusp of innovation; they are needed to help get medications, vaccinations, and treatments approved to be used nationwide. Pettus et al. (2023) noted that 52% of nurses planned to leave their jobs due to system issues and burnout. If coordinators experience burnout and quit, it will slow down treatment approval and decrease the number of patients receiving treatments promptly, which can worsen patient outcomes. Burnout 19 is incredibly high in nursing, up to 70% of nurses reporting it (Ashipala & Nghole, 2022). Meditation is a method that is both cost and time-effective and can decrease burnout and improve mental health (Polizzi et al., 2022). Meditation can help protect the brain. Watson et al. (2023) noted that those who do meditation can have decreased levels of negative emotions because of the downregulation in the amygdala. Decreasing negative emotions can help keep nurses engaged at work. Cohen et al. (2023) identified that in England during the pandemic, mental health sick days went from 519,807 days in March through April 2019 to 899,730 days for the same time frame the following year. Increasing nurses' mental health is imperative to improving patient outcomes, and one way this can be accomplished is through meditation. Meditation can help with mental and physical health. Blevins (2024) noted that meditation initiates the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows the body down, decreasing heart rate and blood pressure. Meditation can also help strengthen the immune system by lowering stress and reducing the body's stress response. Medeiros de Olivera et al. (2019) noted that meditation can also help decrease the perception of stress. Reducing the perception of and the body’s stress response can help the body protect itself. Implications This project has several strengths, including using identical burnout symptom questions on the pre- and post-surveys, which will accurately show any change in burnout symptoms. Meditation can be done anywhere that is safe and at any time; it is easy to do and requires no equipment (Polizzi et al., 2022). Meditation is an effective method to decrease stress. One limitation of this project is the small sample size of the research coordinators. Doing this project on a broader scale may help show more complete results. Implementing this project will help 20 build the nursing profession by keeping coordinators working and giving the best, most accurate data to get products and treatments approved and on the market for patient use, promoting improved patient outcomes. Recommendations Further research is needed on a larger scale for the specific population of research coordinators. Another gap to address is whether any other intervention, such as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, anxiolytic medication, or nonpharmacological stress-reducing method, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, was used in addition to meditation during the project implementation. Starting any of these other interventions and doing meditation could change the results. Conclusion The use of meditation can decrease burnout symptoms in nurses and research coordinators. It can cause positive brain changes to help cope with stress, which can help reduce burnout symptoms. Meditation can help reduce the heart rate and reduce stress by decreasing the stress response or changing the brain's anatomy in areas where emotions are regulated (Polizzi et al., 2022; Smith, 2023; Watson et al., 2023). Using meditation can help research coordinators think more clearly, which will increase better decision-making and patient outcomes. Meditation can also help increase empathy, which can help make the patient experience better. It is a free, time-friendly option that can be done almost anywhere and can rapidly improve mood with few to no adverse side effects (Polizzi et al., 2022). 21 References Ashipala, D. O. & Nghole, T. M. (2022). Factors contributing to burnout among nurses at a district hospital in Namibia: A qualitative perspective of nurses. Journal of Nursing Management 30(7), 2982-2991. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13693 Bhardwaj, P., Pathania, M., Bahurupi, Y., Kanchibhotla, D., Harsora, P., & Rathaur, V. K. (2023). 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(2020). Interventions to reduce burnout of physicians and nurses an overview of systemic reviews and meta-analysis. Medicine, 99(26), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000020992 25 Appendix A PowerPoint Presentation 26 27 28 29 30 Appendix B Burnout and Meditation Infographic 31 Appendix C Burnout and Meditation Pre-Survey 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Appendix D Burnout and Meditation Post-Survey 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Appendix E Meditation Reminder Card 49 Appendix F Timeline