Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr;30(7-8):975-985.
doi: 10.1111/jocn.15641. Epub 2021 Jan 26.

Stressors for emergency department nurses: Insights from a cross-sectional survey

Ali H Alomari  1 , James Collison  2 , Leanne Hunt  1 , Nathan J Wilson  1
Affiliations

Stressors for emergency department nurses: Insights from a cross-sectional survey

Ali H Alomari et al. J Clin Nurs. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Aims and objectives: This study aimed to profile stress, exploring whether demographics and/or other factors uniquely contribute to stress for emergency departments nurses.

Background: Nursing has been identified as a stressful profession with the potential to have negative impacts on nurses' physical and mental health. Nurses working in emergency departments face unique daily stressors.

Design: Cross-sectional survey using a correlational design.

Methods: The survey was distributed in May 2019 to ED nurses working in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A total of 242 nurses completed the survey, of which 190 cases were analysed. A standardised scale was used in the survey, the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS). The sampling method for this research was non-probability purposive sampling. STROBE checklist was used for this manuscript.

Results: The results of this study indicated that emergency department nurses experience stress in their work settings. Stress is experienced predominantly because of problems in dealing with patients and their families, high workloads, and uncertainty concerning treatment.

Conclusions: The results of this study provide valuable insights into the work-related stress experienced by emergency department nurses. This information can be used to inform the development of strategies to minimise stress for emergency nurses.

Relevance to clinical practice: This study builds on existing, and contributes to new, knowledge about the current stressors for emergency department nurses. The results provide insights into how policies and procedures may need to be adjusted and interventions developed, that can help in reducing stress.

Keywords: burnout; emergency department; emergency nursing; nurse; nursing; stress; stressors.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Abraham, L. J., Thom, O., Greenslade, J. H., Wallis, M., Johnston, A. N. B., Carlström, E., Mills, D., & Crilly, J. (2018). Morale, stress and coping strategies of staff working in the emergency department: A comparison of two different-sized departments. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 30(3), 375-381. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.12895
    1. Adeb-Saeedi, J. (2002). Stress amongst emergency nurses. Australian Emergency Nursing Journal, 5(2), 19-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1328-2743(02)80015-3
    1. Adriaenssens, J., De Gucht, V., Van Der Doef, M., & Maes, S. (2011). Exploring the burden of emergency care: Predictors of stress-health outcomes in emergency nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(6), 1317-1328. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05599
    1. Ahwal, S., & Arora, S. (2015). Workplace stress for nurses in emergency department. International Journal of Emergency and Trauma Nursing, 1(2), 17-21.Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288981746_Workplace_Stress_for_...
    1. Ali, Z., & Bhaskar, S. B. (2016). Basic statistical tools in research and data analysis. Indian Journal of Anaesthesia, 60(9), 662-669. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.190623

LinkOut - more resources