Stress and coping of Canadian rural nurses caring for trauma patients who are transferred out

The present study investigated acute stress and coping among rural nurses who work with transfer trauma patients.

Nineteen rural nurses ages 34 to 53 years participated in 4 focus groups. Each group was asked to identify a specific stressful situation involving transfer of trauma/accident patients and to share their experience of the situation.

Stressful situations encountered included system problems (EG, lack of resources; time pressures), lack of communication, visual impact, and professional discord. Coping responses included efforts to alter the problem (problem-focused coping) and efforts to control emotions (emotion-focused coping). Social support coping was identified as the most helpful way of coping with trauma.

Overall the findings suggest that rural nurses face unique stressors not identified in the nursing literature, which most often reflects urban settings.