Emergency Department Nursing Case Study

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Post-Traumatic Stress in Emergency Department Nurses Emergency Department (ED) nurses throughout the world are frequently exposed to traumatic events (TE) at work. These events lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Emergency Department nurses also encounter conflicts among management, which can affect the quality of services rendered to the patients. Emergency Department (ED) nurses use conflict management style to resolve conflict, and to determine whether their style of managing conflict and a supportive work environment affects their experience of work stress. The association between war traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and post-traumatic growth among nurses during a period …show more content…
This exposure generates a significant level of stress that can manifest itself to varying degrees and lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Originally, to be diagnosed with PTSD, one had to be the victim of a traumatic event. However, since the release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder five (DSM V), witnesses of a traumatic event can also be diagnosed with PTSD (qtd. in Lavoie et al. 174-183). Specific criteria must be met for psychological effects to be considered as PTSD symptoms. First, exposure to a traumatic event must trigger peritraumatic distress (PD) soon after the event, which represents the acute response to the traumatic event (TE). Then, the person must present symptoms of: (1) persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event; (2) avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, accompanied by a general lack of responsiveness; and (3) a state of autonomic hyperactivity -head trauma or spinal cord injury- (Lavoie et al. 174-183). The duration of symptoms and a certain impairment of normal activities should also be taken into account. PTSD is assessed through interviews or questionnaires, both in clinical and research settings. According to the American Psychiatric Association, PTSD is a chronic condition diagnosed by a psychiatrist according to the DSM-V criterion (Lavoie, et al. …show more content…
The style that the individual utilizes to manage conflict may be directly shaped by the task at hand or by the interpersonal relationships between peers, physicians and supervisors and may directly affect the level of work stress. Conflict management style (CMS) is a multidimensional concept consisting of five styles of managing conflict. These are integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding and compromising (Johansen and Cadmus 211-218). These styles are complex and while an individual may use one style more than others, the style that is used is dependent upon the situation and the players. Per Johansen and Cadmus, integrating involves exchanging information, examining differences to solve the problem, and looking for alternatives to solve the issue in a manner that is acceptable to all parties involved (211-218). Obliging involves an attempt to minimize differences and to emphasize commonalities to satisfy the concerns of the other parties (Johansen and Cadmus 211-218). The dominating style involves one party satisfying their needs or concerns at the expense and the needs and concerns of the other party (Johansen and Cadmus 211-218). In contrast, when avoiding conflict, there

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