Experience of the Nurses in Emergency Room to the Truamatic Accident and Posttraumatic Stress

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze emergency room (ER) nurses' experience of traumatic events and post-traumatic event stress. This survey research would be utilized in the future to prepare post-traumatic stress risk control measures. The subjects of this study were 363 emergency room nurses in 23 Emergency Medical Centers in South Korea. Data collection was conducted from July 20, 2015, to August 30, 2015. The experience of traumatic events was scored using a scale of 10 to 40; the average score was 22.57. The most common traumatic event experienced by ER nurses (32.8%) was physical damage caused by verbal or physical violence by others. Also, 153 respondents (42.1%) responded that the 'experience of toddler/children's death or resuscitation attempts' was the most painful experience. The level of post- traumatic stress amongst ER nurses showed that 35.8% of nurses fell under high risk group for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 18.2% fell under moderate risk groups, and 45.4% fell under normal groups. Thus, there is a need for the development of comprehensive PTSD prevention programs, such as mental health management service, stress management program, and active institutional support, so as to prevent PTSD.