COPING STRATEGIES USED BY HOSPITAL EMERGENCY NURSES

qualitative study with a descriptive exploratory approach, conducted with 15 nurses from an emergency hospital department in the public healthcare network of a municipality in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The semi-structured in-depth interview was used. Data were collected from April to June 2017. The findings are based on the collective subject discourse method, supported by the theoretical Coping framework.

Results:

the presence of stress generating situations is significant in the work of hospital emergency nurses, causing social, labor and psychosomatic repercussions to emerge emotional or psychiatric disorders that affect the body's functionality, including physical repercussions. The development of Coping Strategies arises in the face of the need to cope with stressors. They involve the use of personal, social and spiritual resources, and reveal themselves in positive and/or negative responses. The discourse revealed that, when focused on the problem (management of the stressor), they seek to strengthen social support, plan their daily activities and establish a dialogic and mutual help relationship with the team; when centered on emotion (regulation of emotions or distress), they exercise the search and maintenance of emotional control, practice self-control, move away from the stressor element and invest in physical activity and leisure practices.

Conclusion:

the nurse employs different Coping Strategies which are essential and indispensable to avoid increasing stress levels and triggering negative repercussions. The strategies undertaken are now centered on the problem, or emotion.

DESCRIPTORS:
Coping strategies; Nurse; Occupational stress; Emergency health services; Public hospitals

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Programa de Pós Graduação em Enfermagem Campus Universitário Trindade, 88040-970 Florianópolis - Santa Catarina - Brasil, Tel.: (55 48) 3721-4915 / (55 48) 3721-9043 - Florianópolis - SC - Brazil
E-mail: textoecontexto@contato.ufsc.br

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[1] CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Thiago da Silva Santana tssantana@uefs.br

Strategy	Statement
Problem-focused strategy:	Every nurse has a different way of dealing with stress, I've gotten used to it, I've worked on my emotions, I've learned to live with it here, there are times when I can't totally disconnect from the emergency, because of the stressors, I accept reality as it presents itself, I try to keep calm and control of the situation, I know what I'm doing, have security and try to act rationally in order to provide the best patient care, it makes all the difference. Here in the emergency unit, we work together, we know that we do not work alone, we always depend on each other, so I maintain a good relationship within my group, the nursing team and with other professionals as well, doctors and physiotherapists, it is a way for us to work better, on the basis of dialogue to try to solve day-to-day problems, such as the lack of materials and equipment and deal with bad working conditions. I plan my activities and work with priorities, which is more urgent, I have done what is within my ability, I try to maintain a relationship of transparency with patients and family members, I supervise the sector, I participate in meetings, training, I am always studying to improve my knowledge. I vent with colleagues, family members, open my heart, I've asked to change sector a few times, I've cried several times here in the emergency room.
Emotion-centered strategy:	Nowadays, when I leave my shift, I try to leave all the problems related to work here. In the first few years, I couldn't disconnect, today, I try to work everything out here, I try to separate things, I don't talk or think about them, I try not to take anything home. I have a little daughter, for me maybe my therapy is to spend more time with her. I try to have some leisure moments in order to have a healthy life, do physical activity and run four times a week, do training courses, try to participate in meetings and family events. I participate in meetings with colleagues outside the hospital to talk about our personal life outside the hospital context to try to reduce stress. I ask God for support because we have many problems not only in the emergency room but in the whole hospital, but this is the moment that we have to rest and ask God to help.