title: Do critical care nurses face burnout, PTSD, or is it something else?: getting help for the helpers.
abstract: The critical-care environment can be a stressful place to work. As a result of stress generation, critical-care nurses must use coping mechanisms not normally needed. The Adaptation Process Phenomenon describes a sequence of behavioral patterns and responses during stressful situations, perceived or not, that can result in negative behavioral responses to stress. For critical-care nurses, negative responses can impair the ability to care for patients and families. Adaptation to stress must be identified and examined as a potential illness for critical-care nurses. Is the problem burnout, post traumatic stress disorder, or something else.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Acker
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D012380:Role; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence