Mental health and staff well-being in the emergency department

This collection of articles focuses on the mental health of emergency nurses. It includes peer-reviewed content, feature and opinion articles on how best to ensure the well-being of people working in the high-stress environment of the emergency department or at the scene of major incidents. The collection also covers mechanisms for coping as well as tips for building up psychological and professional resilience.  

Illustration shows a head with symbols around it suggesting thoughts and ideas
Free

What can we learn from a winter of sustained individual and team pressures?

Teams need time to reflect on what changes can be made to improve the working environment

Editorial
Reflective account for revalidation: nurse with laptop
Free

How to write a reflective account for revalidation

Our podcast guest explains what is required and why reflection should be a daily habit

Podcast
Winter pressures in the emergency department: nursing staff should know the value of self-care and supporting others
Free

Why self-care and supporting others is vital when facing winter challenges

To deliver the best possible care, ED nurses need to support each other and self-care

Editorial
Nursing in corridors: An exhausted and dispirited nurse rubs her eye

Corridor nursing: is your role changing because of the crisis?

Is this the new normal? Nurses describe the impact on staff and on patient safety

Analysis
Ilustration shows the silhouette of a person who is acting in an aggressive manner as they point a finger at a nurse, who is quietly and politely standing in front of the person

How can you tackle violent assault and aggressive behaviour in the ED?

Practical steps nurses can take to ensure everyone’s safety

Practice question
Two weary emergency care nurses, both holding disposable paper cups, rest on a trolley in a hospital corridor

Too few toilets and cramped rest spaces: why emergency departments are unfit for purpose

Lack of facilities only increase the pressures on nurses, a study reveals

Analysis
A triage nurse speaks to a patient and her friend to assess their symptoms in the emergency department
Free

Staff safety and well-being is vital in pressurised emergency departments

Overcrowding and other pressures can take their toil on ED nursing staff

Editorial
Older woman lies in bed in corridor of emergency department
Free

So-called ‘corridor care’ is an uncomfortable reality in emergency departments

Overcrowding is forcing staff to look after patients in non-clinical areas

Comment
Nurses rushing along a hospital corridor push a wheeled stretcher on which a patient is lying

Burnout: how emergency nurses can guard against a mental health crisis

Working in an emergency department can take a toll but help is available

Analysis
An emergency department nurse leads a team debrief following a significant event

What should an ED team debrief involve and how do I lead one?

Emergency departments are high-pressured and debriefings can help sustain a healthy workplace

Practice question
Matthew Osborne

‘Emergency care is broken’: why I did the unthinkable and quit the job I love

Nurse who announced his resignation on Twitter describes the impact of moral injury

Comment
Matthew Osborne

‘Emergency care is broken’: why I did the unthinkable and quit the job I love

Nurse who announced his resignation on Twitter describes the impact of moral injury

Comment

Notes from the front line: ‘Most shifts feel like working in a battlefield’

A candid discussion of the unprecedented pressures and challenges across the specialty

Free

Toxic behaviour in the ED: why we must look after our workforce

If is vital to seek support if you witness bullying or are bullied yourself

Acute behavioural disturbance: how to manage risk in the emergency department

Guidance on management covers de-escalation, restraint and tranquilisation

Corridor nursing: how can EDs maintain safety amid overcrowding?

Record overcrowding means patients arriving by ambulance are too often kept in corridors

Colleague’s canine visitor boosts ICU staff morale

Letters from trust prompt patients to apologise for abusive behaviour

5 Most Read Articles

What can we learn from a winter of sustained individual and team pressures?
Teams need time to reflect on what changes can be made to improve the working environment
How to write a reflective account for revalidation
Our podcast guest explains what is required and why reflection should be a daily habit
Why self-care and supporting others is vital when facing winter challenges
To deliver the best possible care, ED nurses need to support each other and self-care
Corridor nursing: is your role changing because of the crisis?
Is this the new normal? Nurses describe the impact on staff and on patient safety
How can you tackle violent assault and aggressive behaviour in the ED?
Practical steps nurses can take to ensure everyone’s safety