SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.31 issue2 author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Article

Indicators

Related links

  • On index processCited by Google
  • On index processSimilars in Google

Share


Curationis

On-line version ISSN 2223-6279
Print version ISSN 0379-8577

Curationis vol.31 n.2 Pretoria  2008

 

RESEARCH ARTICLE

 

Critical care nurses' perceptions of stress and stress-related situations in the workplace

 

 

S MoolaI; VJ EhlersII; SP HattinghIII

ID Litt et Phil graduate, University of South Africa
IID Litt et Phil. Professor, Department of Health Studies, University of South Africa
III
D Litt et Phil. Associate Professor, Department of Health Studies, University of South Africa

Correspondence

 

 


ABSTRACT

Critical care nurses (CCNs) experience stressful situations in their daily working environments. A qualitative research approach (exploratory, descriptive and contextual) was used to explore and describe the stressful situations experienced by critical care nurses in the Tshwane metropolitan are of South Africa. Focus group interviews were conducted with critical care nurses.
Data was generated by means of focus group interviews. The results revealed CCNs' perceptions and experiences about stressful events, factors contributing to stress in the critical care environment, as well as their needs for support systems.Critical care nurses experience stressful situations in their daily working environments. The question arises for nurses: are there adequate support systems in the critical care environment and what are critical care nurses doing to maintain their own health and well-being? Facilitating conscious awareness among critical care nurses could enhance their resiliency and their hardiness, strengthening their coping capacities in stressful working situations. The contextual framework adopted for this research was the Neuman Systems Model. A qualitative research approach (exploratory, descriptive and contextual) was used to explore and describe the stress experienced by critical care nurses. Focus group interviews were conducted with critical care nurses and individual interviews with nurse managers. The results revealed their perceptions and experiences about the effects of stress in the critical care environment, as well as some of their coping strategies. The recommendations include that stress management programmes should be implemented and evaluated; debriefing services should be available to CCNs, in-service education programmes should address raising CCNs' consciousness awareness and enhance their resiliency skills. Effective communication systems should be established between managers and CCNs to address inconsistencies as they arise, including critical shortages of staff and equipment.

Keywords: burnout, consciousness awareness, critical care nurses, resiliency, job-related experiences, stress management


 

 

“Full text available only in PDF format”

 

 

References

APPLETON, L1994: What is a critical incident? Canadian Nurse. 90(8):23-27.         [ Links ]

BAILEY, RD 1985: Coping with stress in caring. London: Blackwell Science.         [ Links ]

BAUM, A1994: Stress, intrusive imagery and chronic distress. Health Psychology. 49(12):653-664.         [ Links ]

BELL, JL 1995: Traumatic event debriefing, severe debriefing designs and the role of social work. National Association of Social Workers. 40( 1):3641.         [ Links ]

BOSEK DE WOLF, MS 1999: Ethics in practice. Journal of the Nurses Association in Health Care Law. Ethics and Recuperation. 1(1):12-13.         [ Links ]

BRINK, HIL 1996: Fundamentals of research methodology for health professionals. Kenwyn: Juta.         [ Links ]

BURNS,N & GROVE, SK 1999: Understanding nursing research. 2nd edition.Philadelphia: WB Saunders.         [ Links ]

CLOCHESY, JM; BREU, C; CARDIN, S, RUDY, EB & WHnTAKER, AA1996: Critical care nursing. 2nd edition. Pennsylvania: WB Saunders.         [ Links ]

CONCISE OXFORD HANDY DICTIONARY. 1991: London: Oxford University Press.         [ Links ]

CRESSWELL, JW 1994: Research design: qualitative and quantitative approaches. London: Simon & Shuster.         [ Links ]

CUDMORE, J 1996: Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder in accident and emergency nursing. Nursing in Critical Care. 1(3):120-125.         [ Links ]

EVERLY, GS & LATING, JM 1995: Psycho-traumatology: key papers and core concepts in post traumatic stress. New York: Plenum.         [ Links ]

FINNEGAN, AP 1998: Clinical assessment for post traumatic stress disorder. British Journal of Nursing. 7(4): 212-218.         [ Links ]

GOLL-McGEE, B 1999: The role of the clinical forensic nurse in critical care. Nursing Quarterly. 22(1):8-18.         [ Links ]

ORASANO, JM & BACHER, PI 1996: Stress in military performance in Stress and human performance edited by JE Driskell & E Salas. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.         [ Links ]

GUBA, EG & LINCLOLN, YS 1985: Naturalistic inquiry. London: Sage.         [ Links ]

HERMAN, JL 1992: Trauma and recovery: from domestic abuse to political terror. London: Harper Collins.         [ Links ]

IVEY, AE; IVEY, MB & SIMEK-MORGAN, L 1997: Counseling and psychotherapy: a multicultural perspective. 4td edition. Boston: Allan & Bacon.         [ Links ]

LAZARUS, RS & FOLKMAN, S1984: Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer.         [ Links ]

LAWS, T & HAWKINS, C1995: Critical incident stress. Australian Nursing Journal 2(7): 17-18; 32-33.         [ Links ]

MASLACH, C & SCHAUFELI, WB 1993: Historical and conceptual development of burnout: recent developments in theory and research edited by WB Schaufeli, C Maslach & T Marek. Washington DC: Taylor & Francis.         [ Links ]

MONSEN, RB; FLOYD, RB & BROOKMAN, JC 1992: Stress-Coping-Adaptation: concepts for nursing. Nursing Forum. 27(4):28.         [ Links ]

MOUTON, J & MARAIS, HC 1990: Basic concepts in the methodology of the social sciences. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council.         [ Links ]

MULDARY, TW 1983: Burnout and health professionals: manifestations and management. Connecticut: Appleton-Century-Crofts.         [ Links ]

NEUMAN, B 1995: The Neuman Systems Model. 3rd edition. Norwalk: Appleton & Lange.         [ Links ]

PARAHOO, K 1997: Nursing research: principles, process and issues. London: MacMillan.         [ Links ]

PFIFFERLING, JH & GILLEY,C 2000: Overcoming compassion fatigue: mental fatigue. Journal of Medicine Practice. 7(4):39.         [ Links ]

POLIT, DE & HUNGLER, BP 1993: Essentials of nursing research methods, appraisals and utilisation. Philadelphia: JB Lippincot.         [ Links ]

POLLARD, E 1994: The Oxford Paperback Dictionary. Oxford University Press.         [ Links ]

RUTTER, M 1985: Resilience in the face of adversity. British Journal of Psychology. 147:598-611.         [ Links ]

SELYE,H 1974: Stress without distress. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott.         [ Links ]

STRAUSS, A & CORBIN, J. 1990: Basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. London: Sage.         [ Links ]

STRUMPHER, DJW1995: The origins of health and strength from "salutogenisis" to "fortigenesis". South African Journal of Psychology. 25(2):2,19,6581-89.         [ Links ]

TAYLOR, G 1999: The race for consciousness: a Bradford book. Massachusets: MIT Press.         [ Links ]

VAN SERVELLEN, G & LEAKE, B. 1993: Burnout in hospital nurses: a comparison of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, oncology, general medical and intensive care unit samples. Journal of Professional Nursing. 9(3): 169177.         [ Links ]

WILKINSON, J 1999: Implementing reflective practice. Nursing Standard. 13(21):37-39.         [ Links ]

 

 

Correspondence:
Prof VJ Ehlers
Department of Health Studies
PO Box 392
Unisa, 0003
Tel: (012)429-67321(w); Fax: (012) 429-6688 (w)
Cell: 084 587 3303
E-mail: ehlervj@unisa.ac.za

Creative Commons License All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License