Stress profile of urgency/emergency nurses in COVID-19 context: professional determinants

• Main Author: Pinto,Nuno Duarte
• Publication Date: 2023
• Other Authors: Alves,Vitor, Veiga-Branco,Maria Augusta
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Download full: http://scielo.pt/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0873-30152023000100203
• topic: occupational stress; nurses; pandemic COVID-19; urgency; emergency

Abstract Introduction: Evidence shows that emergency nurses have developed stress-related health problems in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: Evaluate the stress profile of urgency/emergency nurses in a COVID-19 context according to professional variables. Methods: Cross-sectional, quantitative descriptive-correlational study, through the application of the Stress Perception Scale (SPS), adapted by Pais Ribeiro & Marques (2009), to a sample of 355 Portuguese nurses in an emergency/ urgency context. Results: The sample was mainly composed of women (51.1%), aged between 36-50 years (51.3%), with a university degree (38.9%), working in the public sector (85.9%), in the North (35.8%), between 11-20 years of professional experience (40.8%) and with the professional category of "nurse" (59.4%). Conclusion: As variáveis de caracterização profissional, revelaram que o título profissional, o serviço/unidade onde exercem funções e a localização geográfica, apresentam efeito significativo no perfil de Stress perceived (p < 0.005). In this context, the specialist nurses (p = 0.005) working in the SUP and OR (p = 0.002) of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region (p = 0.001) were those with the highest perception of Stress. On the other hand, generalist nurses (p = 0.005), who exercise functions at INEM (p = 0.002), and who exercise in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (p = 0.001) showed a lower Stress profile.