Stress among Brazilian nurses working in emergency rooms

Abstract

The nursing profession is considered a suffering the impact of stress, which arises from the constant care on patients and people with unpredictable situations, especially at the emergency room. The purpose of this study was to verify  the stressors of nurses working in emergency room units in Brazil. The studied population consisted of 143 nurses working in emergency room units which were inserted into institutions of high complexity of health care. Data were collected from 2005 to 2006 using the Bianchi's Stress Scale, consisting of socio-demographic characteristics and by 51 items, divided into six areas, which include the relationship (A), operation of the unit (B), administration of staff (C), nursing care (D), the coordination unit (E) and working conditions (F). Statistical analysis was descriptive and inferential, using analysis of variance ANOVA. In the analysis of these six areas were obtained, "Working conditions (F)" was the most stressful area for nurses and "Relationship (A)" was the least area, regardless of geographical region that belonged to the nurse. As conclusion, the organizational structure of hospital has the responsibility in the level of stress of the nurses in emergency room, so we need to encourage the use of coping strategies to minimize the effects of stress in these professionals.