How the aftermath of secondary traumatic stress show itself in nurses. : A literature review

Abstract: Background: Nurses face many challenges in the nursing profession. One challenge is the ability to handle patient trauma and at the same time, as a nurse, process their trauma. With more awareness about how secondary traumatic stress shows itself in nurses and its aftermath, the stress can be identified in earlier stages. Aim: The aim of this literature review is to map how the aftermath of secondary traumatic stress show itself in nurses, described by nurses. Method: This study has been designed as a qualitative literature review with searches carried out in the databases CINAHL and PubMed. The mapping resulted in ten articles that were reviewed for their quality. Result: The metasynthesis of the identified articles resulted in seven subthemes, desire to leave nursing, providing insufficient care, teamwork, depersonalization, emotional distress, lack of resources and knowledge deficit. Conclusion: When the secondary traumatic stress overpowers the nurse, it may result in the nurse leaving its profession. Future research should thereby focus on methods that support the nurses exposed to secondary traumatic stress and lessen their feeling of exhaustion. Methods that help not only the nurses but also the patients they care for.