Many nurses working in Irish hospitals are subjected to "abnormal levels of stress" which, if not responded to adequately, threaten the quality of nursing care, according to psychiatrist Prof Patricia Casey.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Association of Irish Nurse Managers, Prof Casey, of NUI Dublin, said such stress not only affected the individual but also had the potential to damage the operation of a hospital.
While everyone knew the physical and psychological effects of stress, such as depression and anxiety, there were the behavioural effects also, which were likely to lead to mistakes.
Prof Casey said there was evidence to suggest that nurses working in intensive care, oncology, psychiatry and casualty services were subjected to abnormal stress. It was important that hospitals had protocols and procedures in place to deal with this.
Other nurses, however, may be predisposed to abnormal levels of stress. They go into nursing with a view to it being a caring profession, to help and cure people, but find they are not always cured or do not take medication as advised.
A survey by medical colleagues in the Mater Hospital where she works, for example, found stress for nurses in casualty was caused by a fear of violence and a lack of beds. Practical measures could ease this. Adequate resources for services and realistic expectations of staff were also important.
Some stress was important in the course of hospital work, such as to get "psyched up" to deal with emergencies. "The danger is that abnormal stress could take its toll on the quality of nursing," she warned. While stress levels for Irish nurses had to be quantified, most large hospitals now employed occupational health staff, who had a vital role in dealing with abnormal stress.
The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, who opened the conference, said he was fully committed to developing the role of nurses by taking on board the final report of the Commission on Nursing, due to be published next month. This, he expected, would be a blueprint for fundamental reform.
He warned, however, that the profession must recognise this could be achieved only on a phased basis, taking into account the national finances. "I cannot provide instant solutions to all the problems facing nurses but I can give you a commitment that I will work with you to bring about significant improvements."
Mr Cowen said his Department was preparing a major initiative on hospital management.
