Nurses Overall Perceived Stress and Affecting Factors in Neonatal Intensive Care Units, East Azerbaijan Province, 2011.

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Stress is one of the main factors affecting one's efficiency as well as staff health and quality of nursing services. Therefore, the first priority is to describe the stress and identifies the stressors. Since there is no adequate and comprehensive evidence in regard stress experiences by nurses and stressors in NICU in Iran, the present study aimed to determine nurse's perceived stress and affecting factors in neonatal intensive care units, East Azerbaijan province, in 2011. Methodology: A correlative –descriptive study had done including a purposive sample of all 110 nurses working in NICUs of hospitals in East Azerbaijan province. The data collection tool was questionnaire consist of nurses demographic and physical structure of NICU units, overall perceived stress scale, stress factors scale. Whose items were developed based on review of the literature. All the general and specific stressors of these units were included in the study. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed by content validity and Cronbach alpha coefficient (α=0.91). Results: According to NICU nurses, experience of overall perceived stress and related factors were reported as moderate level. Overall perceived stress of neonatal intensive care nurses were correlated directly with nature of advanced care in NICU and interaction with family members of patients, indirectly with professional practice environment. Two factors of advanced care in NICU and professional practice environment were predictors for overall perceived stress. Discussion and Conclusion: According to the present study, stress of nurses was reported as moderate level. That may be chronic from cause problem in the health and quality of service. Planning to remove or reduce of stresses related to advanced care in NICU and developing the culture of professional practice Environment can improve the quality of nursing services in intensive care units and, thus, decrease the adverse effects of stress on workers.