Occupational stress among nurses in hospital settings

1. This study provides empirical evidence for the repeated statements by hospital nurses that their work situation is overwhelmingly stressful. 2. Stress seems to arise from the overall complexity of nurses' work rather than specific tasks required of nurses. 3. Stressors are uniform across clinical areas, especially with regard to perceived work pressure. 4. Among the most frequently cited stressors for nurses in nearly every hospital setting were "keeping track of many things"; "It is hard to predict what will happen each day"; and "Simple mistakes could have dire consequences."