Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder after exposure to biological material

Abstract

Objective: To track symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to scores of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) in nursing staff exposed to accidents with biological material, from October 2014 to May 2016, in a philanthropic hospital in the state of Minas Gerais. Methods: Retrospective, descriptive study with a quantitative approach. Inferential analysis was performed using a 95% confidence interval, p ≤ 0.05. The data were collected considering all the ethical aspects described in resolution 466/2012. Results: The majority of workers were nursing technicians (52.5%), female (91.8%), with a mean age of 31.4 years (SD 7.5), the majority of exposures being percutaneous (60.7%). Of all individuals, 19.6% presented scores above 5.6, showing signs of PTSD. Individuals who had suffered accidents more than six months previously (p = 0.025) had significantly higher scores than those who had been exposure for less than three months. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for the use of validated instruments for the evaluation of fear, anxiety, stress, and other psychological reactions that characterize PTSD, as well as the provision of psychological care for workers exposed to biological material. Las exposiciones se produjeron por vía percutánea (60,7%). Del total de individuos, el 19,6% presentó escores por encima de 5,6 evidenciando señales para TEPT y aquellos que se habían accidentado hace más de seis meses tuvieron puntuaciones significativamente superiores (p = 0,025) a los que sufrieron exposición hace menos de tres Los meses. Conclusión: Se evidenció la necesidad del uso de instrumentos validados para la evaluación del miedo, ansiedad, estrés entre otras reacciones psicológicas que caracterizan el trastorno de estrés postraumático y de la oferta de atención psicológica para los trabajadores expuestos a material biológico. Palabras clave:

Sharp injuries and their relationship with stress among nurses working in acute care settings

“…18 In addition, the PTSSQI score indicated that nurses had high SIs stress levels, and the association between the occurrence of SIs and stress was statistically significant. These results are consistent with Januário et al, 17 who reported high stress scores associated with SIs, and individuals who had suffered SIs more than 6 months previously had significantly higher scores than those who had suffered SIs less than 3 months previously.…”

“…The IES-R is used to measure the effect of routine life stress, everyday traumas, and acute stress, and it was used to measure stress post-SIs occurrence. 13,17 The IES-R contains a 22-item questionnaire based on three clusters of symptoms, which are intrusion (eight items), avoidance (eight items), and hyperarousal (six items). The scale items are measured using a 5-point severity scale ranging from 0 (= not at all) to 4 (= extreme).…”

“…11 The nature of work in acute care units needs nurses to be highly qualified, provide care on time, and adapt to many stressors in the acute care environment. [14][15][16][17][18] However, high levels of SIs stress were reported in nurses working in acute care settings. 18 SIs stress was among the highest occupational stressors that face nurses during their work.…”

“…19 Nurses working in acute care settings were eight times more likely to report stress than nurses in other settings. [17][18][19] Studies also reported that 24% of nurses had positive PTSS, compared with 14% of general nurses who express the same symptoms. [20][21][22] Many studies investigated factors affecting the occurrence of SIs and/or nurses' adherence to infection control guidelines during the occurrence of SIs, but few studies investigated the occurrence of SIs and their association with stress in acute care nurses.…”

Evidências em ciências da saúde práticas, desafios e perspectivas (Volume 4)

“…A demora dos resultados dos exames também gerou intenso sentimento de medo e angústia segundo relato dos profissionais. Nessa pesquisa nota-se como o risco biológico também repercute em danos psicológicos (JANUÁRIO et al, 2017).…”