Scalable therapy program reduces burnout among at-risk nurses, study finds

Nurses experiencing mental distress reduced their burnout rates by nearly half and suicidal ideation by 80% through a paired mental health screening and video-based, self-delivered cognitive behavioral skills-building program, a study found. They also reduced their anxiety and depression and improved healthy lifestyle beliefs and behaviors at 3 and 6 months post-intervention. AONL member and lead author Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, professor emeritus at The Ohio State University, and colleagues published results of their randomized controlled trial in Worldviews on Evidence-based Nursing. The study, consisting of 501 nurses experiencing mental distress, compared the effectiveness of mental health screening and referral versus the combination of mental health screening with a digital, seven-session cognitive behavioral therapy program. The authors say the program is scalable. (Cope2Thrive news release, 9/9/26)