Emergency nursing: coping with the impact of traumatic events
In response to new pressures, emergency nurses have developed skills to support people after traumatic events, but need space and time for their own well-being
Historically, working as an emergency nurse has offered the opportunity to build an exceptional knowledge and skills base. Such a base empowered nurses to diversify their roles to improve patient care and outcomes and through undertaking practices once considered the sole domain of doctors.
In the past decade the collapse of operational performance in the NHS has resulted in many patients who require emergency admission entering a bottleneck and experiencing severe delays while awaiting transfer out of the emergency department and onto wards. Emergency nurses have therefore had to adopt different skills associated with ward nursing and then circumnavigate their delivery in areas undesignated for care, such as corridors and waiting rooms.
Two Emergency Nurse articles explore some of the essential skills that emergency nurses require but which are not always seen as a priority when the immediate workload is so challenging.
Breaking bad news in major trauma care and coping strategies for nurses
In our evidence and practice article Exploring the experiences of healthcare professionals when breaking bad news in major trauma care, the authors look at discussions following traumatic events that can leave healthcare professionals feeling distressed and which can have a long-term impact on their well-being.
In Tragedies and major incidents: coping strategies for nurses Pavan Amara explores how the tragedy in Southport earlier this year, which resulted in the deaths of three young children, had an unseen but profound effect on nurses involved in their care.
Understanding of the effects traumatic events can have on healthcare professionals has significantly improved over recent years, however considerable modernisation is required to progress support and promote healthier system responses.
A modern and responsive NHS would ensure time and space away from clinical practice
The nature of healthcare places nurses in a unique position where the realities of life and human suffering are played out in their daily working lives, and this must be appreciated to build a comprehensive strategy that aims to ‘get it right first time’ and promote healthier working environments where caring for the carer is a priority.
‘Nurses can be affected by any number of tragic events they witness while fulfilling their caring roles’
We need national backing for the mandatory introduction of services, at hospital level, where healthcare workers can access qualified and empowered facilitators for support, or raise concerns that are acted on by creating close links between service facilitators and trust boards.
Nurses can be affected by any number of tragic events they witness while fulfilling their caring roles, ensuring time and space away from clinical practice to professionally reflect and if necessary raise concerns, would reflect a modern and responsive NHS.
