Understanding Traumatic Stress in Emergency Nurses: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Occupational Health Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Emergency nurses face unique occupational stressors.
• Traumatic stress is a significant concern in emergency healthcare settings.
• Understanding the multifaceted impact of traumatic stress is crucial for improving healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the experiences of emergency nurses with traumatic stress.
• To clarify the impact of traumatic stress on emergency nurses, patients, and healthcare organizations.
• To identify antecedents of traumatic stress in emergency nursing.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2024.
• Searches conducted in CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO.
• Included 12 studies from seven countries, assessing impacts and antecedents of traumatic stress.

Main Results:

• Traumatic stress negatively affects patient safety, satisfaction, and care quality.
• Impacts extend to nurse absenteeism, turnover, and organizational commitment.
• Antecedents include patient populations, clinical events, workplace violence, and work environment factors.

Conclusions:

• Traumatic stress is not solely an individual issue but a systemic one.
• Organizations should focus on modifiable antecedents for primary prevention strategies.
• System-level policies and interventions are vital for supporting emergency nurses and mitigating stress impacts.