Table 1. Positive psychology interventions in HCWs.

Adapted from [9-22].

RCT, randomized controlled trial; MBSR, mindfulness-based stress reduction; RN, registered nurse; 3GT, Three Good Things; PPT, positive psychology tool; CMA, certified medical assistant; HCW, healthcare worker

Paper	Authors	Study description	Intervention description	Subjects	Outcomes
A Brief Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention for Nurses and Nurse Aides	Mackenzie et al. [9]	RCT	Four-week mindfulness intervention	30 nurses and aides	With respect to job-related personal accomplishment, intervention participants reported higher levels than controls both before and after the intervention. MBSR participants demonstrated reductions in exhaustion, whereas control participants’ scores increased somewhat. With respect to depersonalization, intervention participants showed relative stability over the two testing periods, whereas control participants’ scores increased significantly.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Care Professionals: Results From a Randomized Trial	Shapiro et al. [10]	RCT	An eight-week MBSR program	38 physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, and psychologists	Compared with controls, the intervention (MBSR) group demonstrated a significant mean reduction (27% versus 7%) in perceived stress and an increase in self-compassion (22% versus 3%). In the MBSR group, 88% of the participants improved their stress scores while 90% demonstrated increases in self-compassion. In addition, the MBSR condition demonstrated trends toward greater positive changes in all of the dependent variables examined. Compared with controls, intervention participants reported greater satisfaction with life (19% versus 0%), decreased job burnout (10% versus 4%), and decreased distress (23% versus 11%).
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) Reduces Stress-Related Psychological Distress in Healthcare Professionals	Martín-Asuero and García-Banda [11]	Nonrandomized pre-post intervention study within-group design	An eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course involving 28 hours of classes	29 healthcare professionals	Results show a 35% reduction in distress, from percentile 75 to 45, combined with a 30% reduction in rumination and a 20% decrease in negative affect. These benefits lasted during the three months of the follow-up period.
A Mindfulness Course Decreases Burnout and Improves Well-Being Among Healthcare Providers	Goodman and Schorling [12]	Pre-post-follow-up within-subjects design	MBSR course that met for 2.5 hours a week for eight weeks plus a seven-hour retreat	93 physicians from multiple specialties, nurses, psychologists, and social workers	Burnout Inventory scores improved significantly for both physicians and other healthcare providers for the measures of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Mental well-being also improved significantly. There were no significant changes in the physical health scores.
The Impact of an Innovative Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on the Health and Wellbeing of Nurses Employed in a Corporate Setting	Bazarko et al. [13]	Nonrandomized pre-post-intervention study within-group design	An MBSR program for eight weeks	36 nurses	Statistically significant improvements were observed on almost every measure, including self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, and overall self-compassion from baseline to postintervention, and were sustained four months later.
Improving Mental Health in Health Care Practitioners: Randomized Controlled Trial of a Gratitude Intervention	Cheng et al. [14]	Double-blind RCT	Participants in the intervention group wrote work-related gratitude and hassle diaries, respectively, twice a week for four consecutive weeks. A no-diary group served as control.	102 physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists	The general pattern was a decline in stress and depressive symptoms over time, but the rate of decline became less pronounced as time progressed.
Preliminary Evaluation of a Brief Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention for Mental Health Professionals	Dobie et al. [15]	Pre-post-follow-up within-subjects design	Daily 15-minute MBSR training over eight weeks interspersed with three 30-minute education sessions	Nine mental health workers: five nursing and four allied health (social work, occupational therapy, psychology) staff	Quantitative and qualitative participant feedback revealed a perceived reduction in psychological distress.
A Pilot Evaluation of a Mindful Self-Care and Resiliency (MSCR) Intervention for Nurses	Craigie et al. [16]	Pre-post-follow-up within-subjects design	Mindfulness-based self-care and resiliency intervention: one-day compassion fatigue prevention educational workshop, followed by weekly mindfulness training seminars over four weeks (12 hours total intervention time)	21 nurses	Significant improvements were observed for compassion, satisfaction, burnout, trait-negative effects, obsessive passion, and stress scores. At preintervention, 45% of the sample with high burnout scores was reduced to 15% postintervention. No significant changes were observed for general resilience, anxiety, or secondary traumatic stress.
Effect of Positive Psychological Intervention on Posttraumatic Growth Among Primary Healthcare Workers in China: A Preliminary Prospective Study	Xu et al. [17]	Nonrandomized pre-post-intervention study within-group design	A four-phase intervention designed based on positive psychology and Chinese culture: phase 1: baseline; phase 2: health education; phase 3: participants invited to ask questions about mental health and work difficulty followed by discussion; and phase 4: assessment	579 HCWs	Participants demonstrated improvement, using the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory. The aspect of new possibilities improved the most with intervention. Women and nurses showed greater improvement than men and other professionals, respectively.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness to Reduce Stress and Burnout Among Intern Medical Practitioners	Ireland et al. [18]	RCT	A 10-week mindfulness intervention	44 intern doctors	Participants reported greater improvements in stress and burnout relative to controls.
Forty-Five Good Things: A Prospective Pilot Study of the Three Good Things Well-Being Intervention in the USA for Healthcare Worker Emotional Exhaustion, Depression, Work-Life Balance and Happiness	Sexton and Adair [19]	Nonrandomized survey design	Three good things intervention administered over 15 days	228 physicians, RNs, nurse managers/charge nurses, physician assistants/nurse practitioners, hospital aides, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, technologists/technicians, administrative support, other managers, and students	3GT participants exhibited significant improvements in emotional exhaustion, depression symptoms, and happiness at one month, six months, and 12 months.
Enhancing Caregiver Resilience: Courses with Positive Psychology Tools Promote Durable Improvements in Healthcare Worker Burnout	Masoud et al. [20]	Nonrandomized survey design	One- or two-day resiliency course: Courses included didactics on burnout prevalence, strategies for coping and improving well-being, along with evidence-based PPTs used during and after the course.	1,396 nurses, physicians, pharmacists, clinical support (CMA, nursing aide, etc.), clinical social workers, physical/speech/occupational therapists, nutritionists, administrative support, and other health system employees	Higher baseline burnout and PPT use predicted the greatest improvements in HCW burnout. Participants of the two-day course exhibited significant improvements in burnout up to one month later; this group also reported higher baseline burnout.
An Evaluation of a Positive Psychological Intervention to Reduce Burnout Among Nurses	Luo et al. [21]	Quasi-experimental research design involving a study group and a control group	The 3GT intervention implemented using WeChat communication tool for six months	41 nurses	Nurses recording 3GT on average twice a week returned the lowest score of exhaustion.
The Effectiveness of an Online Positive Psychology Intervention among Healthcare Professionals with Depression, Anxiety or Stress Symptoms and Burnout	Alexiou et al. [22]	RCT	3GT with causal explanations for one week; five acts of kindness in a week; imagining the best possible self over weeks (different areas of life each day)	30 nurses, psychologists, social workers, and physiotherapists	The intervention group experienced statistically significant decreases in depression, anxiety, stress, and emotional exhaustion scores, as well as increases in satisfaction with life, compared to the control group, which reported no changes.