Impacts of stress on nursing staff of an Intensive Care Unit ; Impacts of stress on nursing staff of an intensive care unit

Objective: to analyze the impacts of stress on the body of the nursing staff members from the ICU of a University Hospital in Natal-RN, Brazil. Method: qualitative research of descriptive approach held with members of the nursing staff of a university hospital in Natal, Brazil. The participants were twenty-one professionals as the inclusion criteria pre-established. Data collection happened through a semi-structured interview carried out with nursing professionals of this sector. These data were collected after the study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Onofre Lopes University Hospital by CAAE No 0037.0.294.000-11. Data was analyzed through the thematic content analysis technique. Results: the categories that emerged from the analysis of participants' speech were: The body talks: Signs and Symptoms of Stress; and Working hours: impacts on the daily lives of the professionals. Conclusion: this study allowed us to realize that arduous working hours is a crucial factor in triggering diseases of body and mind of nursing professionals, the main signs are: physical and mental fatigue, insomnia, musculoskeletal pain, memory problems and chronic diseases. Descriptors: nursing; stress; occupational health. RESUMO Objetivo: analisar os reflexos do estresse no corpo dos membros da equipe de enfermagem da Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Método: pesquisa qualitativa, de abordagem descritiva, realizada junto aos membros da equipe de enfermagem de um hospital universitário de Natal-RN, Brasil. Participaram 21 profissionais conforme os critérios de inclusão pré-estabelecidos: trabalhar na UTI do hospital do estudo há pelo menos seis meses; disponibilizar de tempo em participar da pesquisa voluntariamente; não estar em nenhum tipo de licença ou afastamento. A coleta de dados ocorreu nos meses de setembro e outubro de 2011 por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizada com os profissionais da enfermagem do referido setor. Em seguida, os dados foram tratados pelo Método de Análise de Conteúdo ...