Sources of stress for emergency nurses in four urban Canadian emergency departments

The results of this study indicate that emergency nurses experience work-related stress originating from a variety of sources. Although the study included a group of emergency nurses committed to achieving a high standard of patient care, many of the key stressors they confront hinder their sense of achievement. Repeatedly, nurses described inadequate staffing and resources, too many nonnursing tasks, changing trends in ED use, and patient transfer problems as having considerable impact on their ability to provide quality patient care. Nurses were also stressed by continual confrontation with patients and families who exhibited crisis or problematic behavior. In addition to strategies dealing directly with these stressors, the creation of a workplace that fosters more support and recognition of nurses and promotes professional growth may also help to reduce the impact of work stress for emergency nurses.