Examination of the psychological changes in nurses due to workload in an intensive care unit: a mixed method study.

The workload is the impinged stress due to several inter-related factors, including the competence of the intensive care unit nurse. The objective of this study was to investigate the workload-related psychological changes in intensive care nurses. The study had a two-phase explanatory mixed method design. Data were collected through in-depth personal interviews and with other instruments. The obtained data were analyzed with SPSS 18.0 and MAXQDA plus10. The workload of intensive care nurses was 315.8 per minute and the mean TISS 28 score was as high as 65.00. The in-depth interviews with intensive care nurses revealed that participants experienced professional stress due to high workload and went through psychological changes. The study findings demonstrate that psychological symptoms seen in intensive care nurses relate to a high workload. The results of this study can be used by hospital administrators to create a healthy work environment with a moderated workload and optimized shift schedules so that the mental well-being of nurses can be promoted.