Date of Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Completion
2026
Faculty Advisor
Debbie Cline
Abstract
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Mid-Shift Huddle to Improve ICU Nurse Well-Being and Reduce Burnout
Purpose
Burnout among ICU nurses negatively affects well-being, job
satisfaction, and retention. This quality improvement project
evaluated a mid-shift support huddle to identify staff stressors
and improve nurse well-being.
Results
The mid-shift support huddle identified high-stress events during 44% of
completed huddles, with workload and unsafe assignments as the
primary concerns. ProQOL scores improved, while employee
engagement findings were mixed, with unchanged well-being and lower
perceived stress manageability.
Background
ICU nurses provide high-acuity care, manage heavy workloads, and
experience emotional fatigue. Brief team huddles and leadership
engagement may improve resilience and reduce burnout.
Implications
The mid-shift support huddle was feasible and provided a low-resource
approach to identifying staff stressors and facilitating leadership support.
Improved ProQOL scores suggest potential benefits despite mixed
organizational survey findings. Limitations included the small sample,
single-site design, and short implementation period.
Methodology
A 12-week quality improvement project using the Plan-Do-Study-Act
framework was conducted in a 22-bed Medical ICU and an 8-bed
Cardiovascular ICU. Charge nurses led standardized five-minute mid-
shift huddles once per shift. Outcomes included huddle utilization,
identified stressors, follow-up actions, ProQOL scores, and employee
engagement scores.
Keywords: Burnout; Critical care nursing; Mid-shift
support huddles; Nurse well-being; Professional quality
of life
Keywords
urnout; Critical care nursing; Mid-shift support huddles; Nurse well-being; Professional quality of life
Recommended Citation
Jesse Cannizzo, "Mid-Shift Huddle to Improve ICU Nurse Well-Being and Reduce Burnout" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract. 235.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dnp_abstract/235