Intensive care nurses' perceptions of stress.

The study aimed to provide a description of intensive care nurses' perceptions of stress, frequency and demand (tension and tiredness) in relation to potentially stressful events encountered at work. The study sought to examine the relationship between perceived levels of stress, frequency and demand. Caution needs to be applied in the interpretation of the findings, due to the limitations of the research design. The findings appeared to suggest that a number of events are perceived as stressful and make a demand on individual nurses, irrespective of the frequency of occurrence or the level of knowledge and expertise of the nurse. The findings also supported the notion that perceived degree of control, available resources and appropriate clinical support are instrumental in enabling nurses to cope with stress and the demands generated by intensive care nursing.