A theoretic perspective on postcode stress experienced by critical care nurses.
Death and dying are among the factors that produce stress in critical care nurses. Resuscitation attempts, often associated with dearth and dying in critical care areas, also predispose to stress. However, a dearth of information exists in the literature concerning the psychologic impact of resuscitation on critical care nurses. To promote scholarly thought and dialogue, role theory is applied as a framework to comprehend stress in relation to resuscitation attempts. Information from published literature, the theoretic framework, and the authors' clinical experiences and observations are synthesized to provide suggested guidelines for postcode conferences to reduce critical care nurses' stress in the postresuscitation period.
Mastey
J M
JM
College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth 02747.
Cole
F L
FL
D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*