Nursing burned injury patients: emotional impacts on nurses

Back ground: Burn injury is a common type of traumatic injury which leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Though optimal care of the burn injured patient requires a multidisciplinary approach, the bulk of burn care activities involve the expertise of burn care nurses. Burn units are filled with an array of sensory stimuli, machinery and monitors which can evoke considerable amounts of stress and emotion.Body: Nurses have been cited to face greater stress as compared to other health professionals as they maintain 24-h contact with burned patients. The long relationship with patients in situations of intense physical and emotional pain, performing painful procedures include change dressing and wound debridement and exposure to intense emotions, especially those aimed at caring for the child and the adult patient at risk of death, provoke different feelings of stress. Studies suggested that chronic occupational stressors have resulted in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced self esteem. Nurses working under such extreme conditions are likely to experience increased fear of death, feelings of powerlessness and impaired personal home life.To cope with this stress, studies showed that teamwork, good working relations, talking to co-workers and maintaining a sense of humor are effective. Supporting nurses to not only manage the emotional consequences of their work but also to recognize how these emotions may influence their nursing practices is necessary. Support can be strengthened and stress alleviated by maintaining social communication and incorporating informative teaching groups like holding regular debriefing sessions and reflective learning.Conclusion: In view of the feelings of suffering these workers experience in daily work, the managers, together with nurses need to seek solutions to promote health, reduce problems and recover workers health, improving the quality of life in the work environment and, consequently, in professional life.