A theoretical framework for Acute Care Nurse Stress Appraisal: Application of the transactional model of stress and coping.
J Adv Nurs
; 80(9): 3835-3845, 2024 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38294093
ABSTRACT
AIM:
To develop a framework for understanding the stress appraisal process among acute care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.DESIGN:
A secondary analysis of open-ended responses from a cross-sectional survey of 3030 frontline, acute care nurses in New Jersey and the effect of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS:
Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping guided the study. Thematic analysis was used to analyse 1607 open-ended responses.RESULTS:
Nine themes emerged during the secondary appraisal of stress. Five themes contributed to distress and burnout including (1) high patient acuity with scarce resources, (2) constantly changing policies with inconsistent messaging, (3) insufficient PPE, (4) unprepared pandemic planning and (5) feeling undervalued. Four themes led to eustress and contributed to post-traumatic growth including (1) team nursing to ensure sufficient resource allocation, (2) open channels of communication, (3) sense- of-duty and (4) personal strength from new possibilities.CONCLUSION:
The COVID-19 pandemic was a traumatic event for patients and the nursing workforce. Internal and external demands placed on acute care nurses increased burnout, however, a subset of nurses with adequate support experienced personal growth. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE Beyond mental health interventions for acute care nurses, organizational interventions such as reevaluation of emergency action plans to optimize resource allocation, and work environment strategies such as improved communication and decision-making transparency are necessary. IMPACT To better understand how frontline acute care nurses experienced stress during COVID-19, a data-informed framework was developed that included a primary and secondary appraisal of stress. Themes contributing to distress and burnout were identified, and themes leading to eustress and post-traumatic growth were also identified. These findings can assist nurse leaders in optimizing strategies to reduce burnout and promote post-traumatic growth in the post-COVID years. REPORTINGMETHOD:
No patient or public contribution.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Temas RHS:
Desempeno
/
Trabajo_decente
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Agotamiento Profesional
/
Adaptación Psicológica
/
COVID-19
/
Personal de Enfermería en Hospital
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Adv Nurs
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos