Effects of participatory workplace improvement program on stress-relatedbiomarkers and self-reported stress among university hospital nurses: a preliminarystudy

摘要

Although participatory workplace improvement programs are known to provide favorableeffects on high stress occupations like nursing, no studies have confirmed its effectusing biomarkers. The aim of this study was to determine whether a participatory workplaceimprovement program would decrease stress-related symptoms as evaluated by biomarkers andself-reported stress among hospital nurses. Three actions to alleviate job stress, whichwere determined through focus group interviews and voting, were undertaken for two months.A total of 31 female Japanese nurses underwent measurement of inflammatory markers,autonomic nervous activity (ANA), and perceived job stress (PJS) at three-time points;before the program (T1), within a week after the completion of the program (T2), and threemonths after the program (T3). A series of inflammatory markers (Interferon-γ, Interleukin(IL)-6, and IL-12/23p40) decreased significantly at T2, and IL-12/23p40 and IL-15significantly decreased at T3 compared to T1, while ANA and PJS remained unchanged. Ourparticipatory program exerted beneficial effects in reducing inflammatory responses, butnot for ANA and PJS. Further investigations with a better study design, i.e., a randomizedcontrolled trial, and a larger sample size are warranted to determine what exertedbeneficial effects on inflammatory markers and why other outcomes remained unchanged.