Professional practice environment and nursing work stress in neonatal units

Abstract

Objective: To assess the nurse professional practice environment of neonatal units and its relationship with the levels and main sources of occupational stress. Method: Cross-sectional descriptive, exploratory, correlational study performed with nursing professionals of neonatal units of four public hospitals. A sociodemographic/professional questionnaire, the Brazilian version of Practice Environment Scale, and the Work Stress Scale were applied. In the analysis, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson chi-squared, Likelihood Ratio, and Mann Whitney U tests were adopted for association among variables. Results: Participating professionals amounted to 269. The practice environment was evaluated as favorable by more than half of the sample (63.6%), showing a significant statistical association which was inversely proportional with occupational stress (p < 0.001). The insufficient number of professionals for quality care was the major source of stress for nursing technicians, whereas teamwork with doctors was the predominant factor for the evaluation of environment quality and high stress levels of nurses. Conclusion: Unfavorable practice environments increase the stress levels of nursing professionals in neonatal units and may compromise patient safety.

Nurse Manager Practice Environment and Its Influencing Factors: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

“…Better nursing manager practice environments are associated with less perceived stress. Previous studies have confrmed the relationship between a favorable environment for nursing practice and a lower occupational stress level [20,47]. Te work environment of nurse managers has been described as stressful and challenging [48].…”

“…Tere is growing evidence that mental stress is associated with the practice environment in nurses [18,19]. Occupational stress is considered a signifcant factor that negatively infuences the practice environment [20]. Nurse managers work in a practice environment that refects all-day responsibility and often unmanageable workloads, leading to high-stress levels [21].…”

Levels of Anxiety and Stress Experienced by Nurses in Inpatient Units

“…The WSS is a self-report instrument that evaluates organizational stress of a psychosocial nature and can be used in several work environments and various occupations. In 2004, the instrument was translated into Portuguese and validated by professionals from different organizations, public and private, in the state of São Paulo, demonstrating good psychometric properties (13); moreover, due to its practical utility, it has been used with nursing teams or similar populations (14,15). The instrument consists of 23 items analyzed based on a five-point Likert scale, in which each item presents a stressor and a type of reaction to this stressor; the scores range from 23 to 115 points.…”

Socioeconomic factors, perceived stress, and social support effect on neonatal nurse burnout in China: a cross-sectional study

“…Nurses play a key part as healthcare workers in the health system. Nursing is a highly stressful occupation; nurses do not only deliver healthcare but also participate in patients’ rehabilitation with limited resources and increasing responsibilities in working environments [ 1 – 3 ]. For example, neonatal nurses must take care of newborns whose physiological functions are frail and have difficulty in adapting to the changing environment, which entails more responsibilities and increases stress [ 4 ].…”