An Analysis of Stress Concerning Pediatric Emergency Care Nurses

Objective The aim of this study was an exploratory evaluation of the association between the stressors and stress levels of nurses offering care to critically ill pediatric patients based on their clinical experience and working department in a university hospital. Methods The data were collected in October 2018 by administering a self-reporting questionnaire to 169 nurses. The initial analysis compared the anxiety levels between the nurse groups based on their workspace. The next analysis estimated the correlation between the total nursing care and stress levels related to caring for critically ill pediatric patients. We assessed the stress level using the visual analog scale (VAS) score and the total duration of working in the hospital, emergency department (ED), and pediatric department among the three nurse groups. Results Overall, 149 (88%) nurses responded to our survey. More nurses from the ED group completed the Advanced Life Support course (19% vs. 3% vs. 7%, p=0.032), and the total VAS scores of the ED group were significantly higher than those of the other groups (median: 80 vs. 56 vs. 54, p=0.005). In the ED group, the total VAS scores negatively correlated with the total duration of working in the hospital (r=-0.292, p=0.022), ED (r=-0.266, p=0.037), and pediatric department (r=-0.505, p<0.001). In the pediatric ward group, the total VAS scores negatively correlated with the total duration of working in the hospital(r=-0.322, p=0.014) and pediatric department (r=-0.375, p=0.004). In the ED group, the proportion of patients who had high anxiety levels with a short duration of working in the pediatric department was significantly higher than that of patients with a long duration of working in the pediatric department (51% vs. 11%, p=0.028). Conclusions The ED nurses, especially those with less clinical experience in pediatric care, felt anxious about pediatric emergency care more strongly than those in the other groups, regardless of age and disease. Establishing a pediatric medical care set and conducting off-the-job training might contribute to reducing anxiety related to pediatric emergency care.