The use of text messaging for the improvement of occupational health among nurses in an intensive care unit: A clinical trial

The use of mobile phone text messaging has been suggested as a potential method for the modification of health-related behavior. There is limited data on the effectiveness of this method in respect of occupational health. Thus, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of text messaging on the improvement of occupational health in terms of quality of work life (QWL) and occupational stress and burnout. This experimental and clinical trial was conducted in the intensive care units (ICU) of how many hospitals in Babol, Iran, in 2015–2016. The study population consisted of all ICU nurses who had the inclusion criteria. After homogenization, the subjects were randomly divided into intervention and control groups (n = 40). The data collection tools used in this study consisted of a demographic characteristics form and the Quality of Work Life Questionnaire, Occupational Stress Inventory (Osipow), and the Geldard Burnout Questionnaire (GBI). The nurses in the intervention group received two text messages on occupational health each week for 3 months. The nurses in the control group received no intervention. QWL and occupational stress and burnout were evaluated in the two groups before the intervention, after the 3 months of intervention, and in the fourth month of intervention. The collected data were first analyzed in terms of the normality of distribution using the Shapiro-Wilk test and then using Mann-Whitney U test and the Friedman test. The participants consisted of 80 nurses in two groups. The two groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic characteristics before the intervention. No significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of QWL and occupational stress and burnout at the same time in the study. Mean QWL in the intervention group increased significantly compared to the control group 1 day and 1 month after the intervention (P < 0.001). Occupational stress and burnout decreased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group 1 day and 1 month after the intervention (P < 0.001). Mobile phone text messaging, as an inexpensive and readily available method, can improve occupational health in terms of QWL and occupational stress and burnout among ICU nurses.