STRESS IN URGENT AND EMERGENCY CARE: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Currently, the word stress has been used a lot, associated with feelings of discomfort, with an increasing number of people defining themselves as stressed. Stress is considered the major cause of occupational diseases among nursing professionals, causing physical and mental inefficiency. In this situation, the professional nurse stands out, who, during the care process, may be subjected to a level of stress that will cause physical and psychological damage. The general objective of this work is to describe the stress at work in the hospital environment of nurses working in urgent and emergency units. This is a bibliographical review study, with a descriptive character and a qualitative approach. The search in the databases initially resulted in 249 articles, 138 in the VHL and 111 in PubMed. Following the selection and eligibility criteria, 24 studies. After the reflective reading of the aforementioned essays, three categories emerged: situations that show stressors in Nursing in Urgency and Emergency; the influence of stressors on the work routine and health of professional nurses and strategies used by nurses to minimize the consequences of stressors. It is concluded in this research that the urgent and emergency sectors are classified as a very stressful sector, as they are reserved for patients who need highly complex care, since most of them are in a critical state of health.