Morale, stress and coping strategies of staff working in the emergency department: A comparison of two different‐sized departments

Louisa J Abraham; Ogilvie Thom; Jaimi H Greenslade; Marianne Wallis; Amy NB Johnston; Eric Carlström; Donna Mills; Julia Crilly

doi:10.1111/1742-6723.12895

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Morale, stress and coping strategies of staff working in the emergency department: A comparison of two different‐sized departments

Journal article

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Morale, stress and coping strategies of staff working in the emergency department: A comparison of two different‐sized departments

Louisa J Abraham, Ogilvie Thom, Jaimi H Greenslade, Marianne Wallis, Amy NB Johnston, Eric Carlström, Donna Mills and Julia Crilly

Emergency Medicine Australasia, Vol.30(3), pp.375-381

06/2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.12895

PMID: 29363265

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Abstract

survey tools

stress

morale

working environment

coping

Objective Clinical staff in EDs are subject to a range of stressors. The objective of this study was to describe and compare clinical staff perceptions of their ED’s working environment across two different Australian EDs. Methods This was a cross‐sectional, descriptive, research design that included distribution of three survey tools to clinical staff in two Australian EDs in 2016. Descriptive statistics were reported to characterise workplace stressors, coping styles and the ED environment. These data were compared by hospital and the employee’s clinical role (nurse or physician). Results In total, 146 ED nurses and doctors completed the survey (response rate: 67%). Despite geographical variation, the staff at the two locations had similar demographic profiles in terms of age, sex and years of experience. Staff reported moderate levels of workload and self‐realisation but low levels of conflict or nervousness in the workplace. Nurses and physicians reported similar perceptions of the work environment, although nurses reported slightly higher median levels of workload. Staff rated the death or sexual abuse of a child as most stressful, followed by workplace violence and heavy workload. Staff used a large range of coping strategies, and these were similar across both sites. Conclusion These findings are the first multi‐site and multidisciplinary examinations of Australian ED staff perceptions, improving our understanding of staff stressors and coping strategies and highlighting similarities across different EDs. These data support the development and implementation of strategies to improve ED working environments to help ensure professional longevity of ED staff.

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Title: Morale, stress and coping strategies of staff working in the emergency department: A comparison of two different‐sized departments
Creators: Louisa J Abraham - Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
Ogilvie Thom - Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service
Jaimi H Greenslade - Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
Marianne Wallis - Griffith University
Amy NB Johnston - Gold Coast Health
Eric Carlström - Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg
Donna Mills - Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service
Julia Crilly - Gold Coast Health
Publication Details: Emergency Medicine Australasia, Vol.30(3), pp.375-381
Publisher: Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd; Melbourne
Number of pages: 7
Identifiers: 991012927099702368
Copyright: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Academic Unit: Nursing; Faculty of Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Morale, stress and coping strategies of staff working in the emergency department: A comparison of two different‐sized departments

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