Registered Nurses' Perceptions of Workplace Stress in Paediatric Intensive Care Units in Saudi Arabia: a Mixed-Method Research Study

Background: Workplace stress among nurses in Intensive Care Units (ICU) has been shown to variously affect their health, the quality of nursing care, healthcare delivery and national healthcare costs (Mokhtar et al., 2016). Although this is equally true for Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs), research into this environment has remained scarce and no previous studies have focused on workplace stress in PICUs within a Saudi Arabian (SA) context. The current research study addressed this omission. Aims: This research study used a mixed-method approach to explore and understand workplace stress and its sources among nurses working in public hospital PICUs in Riyadh and Dammam, SA. Methods: In this mixed-method research study, 172 Registered Nurses from six PICUs in large public hospitals completed questionnaires in Phase 1 (quantitative data collection). These questionnaires comprised of the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) and personal characteristic questions. In the subsequent Phase 2 (qualitative data collection), 24 of the original 172 participants from Phase 1 took part in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Results: The majority of the nurses suffered from a medium level of workplace stress; this was associated with tangible personal characteristics, such as gender, nationality and academic nursing qualifications. Sources of workplace stress related to ‘workload’, ‘caring for critically ill children’, ‘cultural challenges’ and ‘nursing management and nursing colleagues’. However, nurses in PICUs (both SA and expatriates) practiced effective coping strategies that were both individual to each person as well as work related – these helped them to deal with workplace stress and remain working in a PICU environment for several years. The results of this research study led to the development of the dynamic model of workplace stress; this illustrates the complexity of workplace stress within a PICU context and highlights the interactions between both the sources and consequences of it. Conclusion and Implications: This research study found that nurses in public hospital PICUs in the cities of Riyadh and Dammam in SA, reported a medium level of workplace stress. However, interestingly, and importantly, the nurses perceived the PICU environment to be a most rewarding place to work. The results have implications for policy and practice for SA stakeholders in terms of how to enhance the working environment for nurses, raise healthcare professionals’ cultural awareness, provide insight into coping strategies and promote respect for the nursing profession in SA. These measures would potentially facilitate a reduction in PICU workplace stress and thus improve both the nurses’ health as well as the quality of the nursing care

Workplace Stress in Paediatric Intensive Care Units in Saudi Arabia: A Mixed-Method Study

© Sciedu Press. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, to view a copy of the license, see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Workplace stress, as experienced by nurses working in intensive care units, can affect health, quality and delivery of nursing care and healthcare costs. However, no studies have purely focused on Paediatric Intensive Care Units [PICU] and specifically considered workplace stress within a Saudi Arabian context. This study addressed this omission. This study explored workplace stress amongst nurses working in PICUs in Saudi Arabia. A mixed-method research was conducted in two phases. In Phase One, (n = 172) nurses from six PICUs completed a questionnaire; in Phase Two, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 of the original 172 participants. The quantitative data revealed that workplace stress was associated with workload (2.29 ± 0.81), followed by death and dying (2.07 ± 0.77) alongside patients and their families (2.02 ± 0.79). Most nurses suffered from medium levels of workplace stress; this was associated with tangible personal characteristics, including nationality and academic nursing qualifications. Six key themes emerged from the qualitative results: Sources of workplace stress, consequences of workplace stress, individual characteristics that help to manage workplace stress, work characteristics that help to manage workplace stress, motivation to work in PICUs in Saudi Arabia and suggestions for workplace stress management. The Dynamic Model of Workplace Stress was developed, highlighting the interactions between the sources and consequences of workplace stress. Despite reporting a medium level of workplace stress, the nurses perceived their workplace to be a highly rewarding environment.Peer reviewe

The impact of a nursing spiritual care module on nursing competence: an experimental design

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to assess the impact of the Nursing Spiritual Care Module on the competence of nurses in providing spiritual care in the context of Malaysia. Method This study employed an experimental design and involved a total of 122 nurses, with 59 in the experimental group and 63 in the control group. Participants were selected from palliative care wards associated with Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Nurses in the experimental group underwent a two-week educational module on nursing spiritual care, while nurses in the control group attended a single lecture on spiritual care provided by the hospital. Results The results indicated no significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. A significant difference in spiritual care competence within the intervention group and the control group over time (p-value = 0.001), between the two groups (p-value = 0.038), and in the interaction between time and group (p-value = 0.001). Conclusion The Nursing Spiritual Care Module is crucial in aiding nurses and healthcare professionals in cultivating the appropriate and wholesome attitudes and practices necessary to address the spiritual needs of patients

Awareness of Shaken Baby Syndrome among Saudi Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Child abuse is a global problem. Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a result of child abuse, with shaking being the most common form of maltreatment, causing mortality or severe brain damage in infants. A lack of awareness of SBS among current and future healthcare professionals can have serious consequences. To date, no studies have been conducted in Saudi Arabia to examine student nurses’ awareness of SBS, so we sought to assess this issue in an academic institution in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For this questionnaire-based study, we employed a cross-sectional, descriptive design. The target population was nursing students from every year of study in the institution’s five-year undergraduate nursing programme, who received an online questionnaire during the 2022–2023 academic year. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Of the 293 respondents, 100.0% confirmed that they were not aware of SBS through their nursing curricula, and 62.1% reported not being made aware of SBS at all during their academic journey. The majority of participants were unaware of the negative consequences of shaking a baby. Most were not aware that shaking a baby vigorously can cause permanent blindness (73.4%), postural impairments (56.7%), sleep disorders (61.1%), or convulsions (60.1%). The results of our study revealed a statistically significant relationship between nursing students’ awareness of SBS and both their year of study and marital status. Those at higher academic levels and those who were married were more aware of SBS. To improve nursing students’ knowledge of SBS and help them to better inform the public of this syndrome, particularly parents, child maltreatment topics should be added to nursing curricula in Saudi Arabia, and their importance should be emphasised. This will help reduce the prevalence and burden of SBS nationally