| Purpose: The purpose of this EBP pilot project was to implement GI in a population of military nurses who care for wounded or ill service members and to determine the feasibility of implementation at a large military treatment facility.;Design: The study design for this evidence based practice pilot project was a pretest/post-test intervention feasibility study.;Methods: Each participant completed a perceived stress scale (PSS)-10, the RS10 and the PTSD 7-item screen before and after the GI intervention. Upon completion of the PSS, the RS10 and the PTSD Scale, each participant participated in three GI sessions. Each guided imagery session lasted no more than 30 minutes and was administered from a pre-recorded compact disc. The sessions were administered by the PI at a location on each unit. Each session was separated by no less than one day and not more than 72 hours since the previous GI session. All GI sessions were completed in one month by each participant. Nurse participants were asked to refrain from practice of the GI technique between sessions.;Results: A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum Test revealed a statistical improvement in resilience (z=-2.938, p<0.003, r=0.54) and perceived stress (z=-2.990, p<0.003, r=0.54) and a reduction in PTSD symptoms (z=-3.219, p=0.001, r=0.59) following the participation in the GI sessions. Conclusion: GI can be translated into an intervention for improved resilience, improved stress management and deceased risk for PTSD symptoms for military nurses in the occupational setting. Key Words: post-traumatic stress disorder, resilience, guided imagery, stress and nurses. |
