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Peer-support: a coping strategy for nurses working at the Emergency Ambulance Service
Maicol Carvello1, Filippo Zanotti, Ivan Rubbi
1School of Nursing, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. rubbivan@libero.it.
Acta Bio-Medica : Atenei Parmensis
|November 13, 2019
Summary
Emergency medical service nurses face significant stress impacting quality of life. Peer support offers a promising strategy for emotional decompression and improved well-being in these demanding roles.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Nursing
- Occupational Psychology
Background:
- Emergency medical service (EMS) work presents high-stress situations for nurses.
- These stressors can negatively affect nurses' quality of life.
- Peer support is an emerging strategy to mitigate these effects in EMS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore EMS nursing staff experiences with peer support.
- To understand their opinions and feelings regarding peer support models.
Main Methods:
- Semi-structured interviews were conducted with volunteer participants.
- Participants were recruited from an emergency medical service in northern Italy.
- Interview data were audio-recorded and anonymized.
Main Results:
- Fourteen nurses participated, acknowledging the profound emotional impact of daily practice, especially with pediatric patients.
- Participants found personal coping mechanisms insufficient for processing difficult experiences.
- A majority favored the introduction of peer supporters within ambulance services.
Conclusions:
- There is a clear need for emotional support tools for non-hospital emergency nurses.
- Implementing peer support can facilitate rapid emotional decompression after stressful interventions.
- Peer support is a viable and widely accepted model for EMS nursing staff.
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