A Multi-level Ergonomic Examination of Nurses' Stress in an Emergency Department

摘要

Stress is considered to be a contributing factor to worker's performance in the healthcare setting. In particular, nurses in Emergency Department (ED) settings experience excessive stress due to the need to respond to various situations promptly. Many studies focus only on the physiological causes and detrimental effects of stress. Under a multi-level ergonomics perspective, the aim of this study is to understand the causes of nurses' stress in specific contexts. A semi-structured interview protocol was developed and five participants were recruited from a local hospital in the southeastern United States. Participants were asked questions related to every sub-system within the ED: technical, personnel, environment, and managerial structures. Also they were asked to provide opinions of possible improvements. Each interview lasted approximately 30 minutes. Based on interview responses, a task analysis was conducted. Interview transcriptions were then analyzed using thematic analysis. Results show that ED nurses experience the most stress when they encounter multiple requests for immediate response simultaneously. Based on the findings, recommendations are proposed, which include the development of an operational training program, an integrated and easy-to-use healthcare informatics system, and an optimized working environment and working shift.