Stress factors in Intensive Care Unit nursing

Abstract

The ICU is a department that provides treatment for severely affected patients. It is a tense, stressful and aggressive environment that can generate stress among the nursing staff. Stress happens when there is a threatening, harmful or tense change in the environment that triggers an imbalance in the individual. The stimulus that causes the condition is a stressor. This present study aimed to investigate, through an exploratory and descriptive literature review, the elements generating stress among ICU nursing staff. The search for scientific articles was conducted via the Virtual Health Library, Lilacs and SciELO databases, as well as in full-text scientific articles published online in Brazilian Portuguese from 2001 to 2011. Articles not related to the topic in question, not published in Brazilian Portuguese, or that were outside the stipulated time frame were discarded. The study revealed the occurrence of stress among the intensive care nursing staff and identified its major cause. Stress is present in the daily life of ICU nursing staff and can trigger physical and psychological problems. Stressors should be analysed and lessened so that the nursing staff can perform effectively with pleasure and dignity.