High-risk units, including intensive care, oncology, and emergency services, are clinical environments characterized by rapid decision-making demands and heavy workloads, placing substantial emotional and physical strain on nurses and other healthcare professionals. These challenging working conditions may contribute to burnout, negatively influence clinical decision-making processes, and increase levels of existential anxiety. Frequent exposure to death and critical illness can intensify nurses' confrontation with themes such as meaning, responsibility, and psychological resilience within their professional roles.
Existential anxiety involves fundamental human concerns related to life, death, freedom, responsibility, and meaning, which may become more salient in high-risk healthcare settings. In recent years, mindfulness-based approaches have gained attention as effective interventions for supporting healthcare professionals. Mindfulness emphasizes present-moment awareness and a nonjudgmental attitude toward thoughts and emotions, and has been shown to help individuals cope with stress and emotional burden more adaptively.
This study aims to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based psychoeducation program on burnout, clinical decision-making, and existential anxiety among nurses working in high-risk units, including intensive care, oncology, and emergency services. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of supportive interventions that may enhance nurses' psychological well-being, professional functioning, and the overall quality of patient care.