Stress Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses in Private Hospitals

Abstract

Background: Nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) are exposed to high levels of occupational stress due to complex clinical demands, organizational pressures, and emotionally challenging environments. Persistent stress among ICU nurses has been associated with burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and compromised quality of patient care, making it a critical workforce and patient safety concern (1–4). Objective: To identify and quantify the perceived causes of occupational stress among nurses working in the intensive care unit of a private hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 30 ICU nurses in a private hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire assessing technical, organizational, interpersonal, environmental, and emotional stressors using a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses, and chi-square goodness-of-fit tests assessed the distribution of responses across categories. Results: Organizational stressors were most prominently endorsed. Lack of managerial support and lack of cooperation among nurses were reported by 100% of participants, while prolonged shifts (96.6%), staff shortages (90.0%), excessive workload (83.3%), and lack of resources (90.0%) were also highly prevalent. Technical stressors such as inadequate knowledge of specialized equipment (83.4%) and insufficient procedural skills (70.0%) were common. Interpersonal and emotional stressors showed more heterogeneous response patterns, with lower endorsement levels. Conclusion: ICU nurses experience substantial occupational stress predominantly driven by organizational and workload-related factors. Addressing staffing adequacy, leadership support, scheduling practices, and resource availability may yield meaningful improvements in nurse well-being and patient care quality.