Abstract
We developed a questionnaire on conditions of stress in dialysis nursing staff and on their methods of coping with and relieving such stress.
Valid answers were received from 171 nursing staff members at 35 different institutions.
When computing the burn-out score by the Inaoka method, it was found that 24.5% of the staff had reached burn-out level in a dialysis ward, indicating that the environment is as high stress as that of the ICU and the operation theatre.
To clarify the factors leading to burn-out, the subjects of each reply were divided into a “healthy” (normal group) and a burn-out group and were then examined by the x2 method. As a result, it became clear that, at a consciousness level of 1%, the differences in interpretation of 5 psychological, 5 personality, 2 physical, 6 social and 6 personal subjects (a total of 24 in all), emerged as factors leading to burn-out.
Moreover, differences could be seen between the “healthy” group and the burn-out group in their respective ways of coping with and relieving stress.
A majority of the “healthy” group coped with stress by “disposing of work in order of precedence (importance) in an unhurried manner”; the next most prevalent method was “thinking things over with other staff members” in other words a method of solving problems in a positive way.
On the other hand, the burn-out group's method was “by compromise rather then confrontation”; next came “overcoming problems within oneself” and “not having too great expectations about anything”. Thus, many in this group had a tendency to resort to “unhealthy prevention methods” which amounted to avoidance of the problems involved.
Regarding relief of stress, whereas the healthy group sublimate their stress by indulging in extroverted methods of relief, the burn-out group resorted mainly to introverted methods.
It appears, therefore, that extroverted methods of stress relief are a necessity in preventing burn-out among dialysis nursing staff.
