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Dealing with Emotional Vulnerability and Anxiety in Nurses from High-Risk Units-A Multicenter Study
Esther Arimon-Pagès1, Paz Fernández-Ortega2,3, Núria Fabrellas-Padrés1
1Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Barcelona (UB), 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Summary
Nurses experience significant compassion fatigue and anxiety due to trauma exposure, impacting their well-being and leading to a desire to leave their jobs. Addressing working conditions and emotional management training is crucial for retention.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Compassion fatigue and anxiety are prevalent issues among nurses, stemming from repeated exposure to trauma and death.
- These conditions negatively affect nurses' quality of life and patient care, contributing to increased turnover.
- High-risk units like Emergency, Intensive Care, Oncology, and Pediatrics are particularly susceptible to these challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of compassion fatigue and anxiety in nurses working in high-risk hospital units.
- To investigate the association between compassion fatigue, anxiety, and various sociodemographic, training, working, and psychological factors.
- To understand the impact of these factors on nurses' intention to leave their profession.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter, cross-sectional study involving 1302 nurses from four high-risk units across 14 hospitals in Catalonia, Spain (2015-2016).
- Utilized the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale to measure compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress.
- Employed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess anxiety levels. Multivariable logistic regression was used for data analysis.
Main Results:
- 19.7% of nurses reported high burnout, and 36.4% experienced high secondary traumatic stress.
- 18.6% of nurses exhibited low compassion satisfaction, while 7.2% had high trait anxiety.
- Compassion satisfaction did not fully mitigate the high levels of compassion fatigue or anxiety observed.
- Poor working conditions were strongly associated with nurses' desire to leave, highlighting the healthcare professional shortage issue.
Conclusions:
- High prevalence of compassion fatigue and anxiety exists among nurses in high-risk units, despite the presence of compassion satisfaction.
- Working conditions and specific variables significantly influence nurses' intention to leave, exacerbating the global healthcare professional shortage.
- Nurses emphasized the need for enhanced training in emotional management to cope with work-related stressors.
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