An investigation into stress levels amongst renal nurses

A qualitative study was designed to explore renal nurses' perception of stress within their unit. This study collected information from ten staff nurses through semi structured taped interviews. Using content analysis, interviews were coded and categories and themes were identified. Findings indicate that stress was derived from the following categories: job content, resource issues, professional concerns, professional working relationships, extrinsic factors, and coping mechanisms. The actual words of the nurses were included to provide depth and substance to the categories and themes. A discussion was held regarding the relationship of these findings to theory. These findings have implications for nursing practice, administration and education. Recommendations are also made for future studies.