Search

Background The number of emergency and urgent care providers with occupational stress is quite large and is a source of concern for hospital managers. Nurses are the professional category most affected among workers exposed to occupational stress. Objective To investigate the level of occupational stress among emergency and urgent care nurses at a public hospital in Teresina, Piaui, Brazil, by means of the Bianchi Stress Questionnaire. Methods Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted from November 2016 through January 2017 at a public emergency and urgency care hospital in Teresina. The sample comprised 20 nurses allocated to the department red, yellow, green and stabilization zones. Data were collected by means of the Bianchi Stress Questionnaire (BSQ), fed to a database and processed using software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23.0. Analysis consisted of descriptive statics. Results Participants were predominantly female (75%) within age range 31 to 40 years old (65%); most had graduated 6 to 10 years earlier (60%), 90% had attended graduate education and 70% had worked at the department for more than 6 years. The global stress score ranged from 2.4 to 5.25, mean 3.46; the highest stress level corresponded to BSQ domain A. Conclusion: Interpersonal relationships in emergency and urgent care departments might be a cause of occupational stress among workers.