Sleep, Stress, Cardiovascular Risk and Ancillary Therapy in Nursing Professional from the Emergency Department

Abstract

Introduction: The emergency department nursing work has been associated with stress, poor sleep quality and other disease risk factors, which has increased the demand for ancillary therapies.

Objective: To analyze the relationship between sleep quality, stress level, cardiovascular risk factors and the use of ancillary therapy by nursing professionals in a 24-hour emergency department.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with nursing professionals in a 24-hour emergency care unit in the northwestern part of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The data collection was performed in the period between January and February 2021. A sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Signs and Symptoms of Stress Checklist, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used as instruments. Descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test were used for data analysis.

Results: Of the 34 participants, 88.23% were women, while 73.52% were technicians or nursing assistants. Among the patients, 82.35% reported poor sleep quality, 79.41% reported moderate to very high stress level, and 61.76% used tea or herbal medicines. 52.94% were overweight or obese, while 61.76% presented increased abdominal circumference.

Conclusions: There was no association between sleep quality, stress, cardiovascular risk factors and the use of ancillary therapy. However, the female gender was associated with stress and ancillary therapy.