Web site spotlight: The emotional cost of nursing
Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, July 10, 2009
Nurses cure the sick, heal the wounded, and comfort the dying, but are they doing so at their own cost?
Jenny Watts, researcher and psychology PhD student at the University of Leicester in Leicester, England, aims to find out with a new project examining the emotional toll of nursing. The project, which follows a large scale methodical review of published literature Watts conducted last year, will explore how exposure to patient suffering and empathy for patients' situations may influence nurses' experiences of distress.
"The [previous] review revealed certain nurse characteristics may predict a specific form of distress," says Watts. "There appear to be many moderating variables, but the literature suggested more empathetic nurses showed greater vulnerability to what had been labeled as burnout and secondary traumatic stress."
Watts' findings indicate nurses who empathize and identify with their patients can share patients' emotional reactions. thus, nurses with highly distressed patients can develop similar symptoms. In addition, dealing with patients' concerns can lead to draining of emotional resources.
Editor's note: To read the rest of this article, visit "The emotional cost of nursing" found in the Reading Room at www.StrategiesForNurseManagers.com. Get a free trial membership that will give you 30 days to test drive all the exciting features on the Web site.
Related Products
-
Hospital Safety Center
Improve compliance with hospital safety standards from The Joint Commission, OSHA, and other regulators with this...
-
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance
Created exclusively for healthcare facility managers, plant operations professionals, and directors of engineering, this...
-
CNA Training Advisor: Lesson Plans for Busy Staff Trainers
Save time and money with your in-service training! Get fresh ideas, lesson plans, course materials, and quizzes from a...
-
Medical Environment Update
A subscription to Medical Environment Update pays for itself by saving you time sorting through complex regulations and...
-
Learning Styles in Nursing Education:
This unique book and CD-ROM provide practical, cutting-edge information to help staff development specialists identify...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Practice the six rights of medication administration
- Don't forget the three checks in medication administration
- Note similarities and differences between HCPCS, CPT® codes
- Skills of effective case managers
- Q&A: Primary, principal, and secondary diagnoses
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- Ensuring clear and concise documentation critical for case managers
- Neurological checks for head injuries
- Implications of CMS Changes to H&P Requirements
- The consequences of an incomplete medical record
- E-mailed
-
- Medical record committee protocol
- Q&A: Should we report injections during cataract surgery?
- Q&A: Coding for sepsis when other conditions are present
- MRSA in homecare: What is MRSA and how can it be prevented?
- Insider's scoop | Proper coding for depression
- HIPAA Q&A: You've got questions. We've got answers!
- Guidance for proper use of Category III CPT codes
- Get to the heart of cardiac catheterization coding
- Coding tip: Learn types and names of bunion procedures, part 2 of 2
- CMS and AMA documentation guidelines for E/M codes don't always agree
- Searched
