Development of recommendations and guidelines for strengthening resilience in emergency department nurses.

Nurses in emergency departments (EDs) provide front-line care to those in emergency situations or critical states of illness and injury. Because of the nature of this work, the occurrence of nurses being confronted by traumatic events is often and ongoing. This ongoing confrontation can lead to posttraumatic stress, burnout, fatigue, and coping difficulties. Little research to date has focused on the effects of trauma on ED nurses or the needs of nurses within this workplace to increase their coping. The present study addresses this gap by providing findings from a qualitative analysis of their experiences and perceptions. Major themes were identified when addressing the research questions. The traumatic events nurses are confronted by, the effects of these traumatic events, and their perceptions of what they need to improve their coping and resilience in the workplace are discussed throughout. Recommendations for improving resilience in the ED setting have been made while considering the perceptions of nurses and previous research into resilience programs in different clinical settings.