TY - JOUR
T1 - Stress in telephone helpline nurses is associated with failures of concentration, attention and memory, and with more conservative referral decisions
AU - Allan, Julia L.
AU - Farquharson, Barbara
AU - Johnston, Derek W.
AU - Jones, Martyn C.
AU - Choudhary, Carolyn J.
AU - Johnston, Marie
PY - 2014/5
Y1 - 2014/5
N2 - Nurses working for telephone-based medical helplines must maintain attentional focus while quickly and accurately processing information given by callers to make safe and appropriate treatment decisions. In this study, both higher levels of general occupational stress and elevated stress levels on particular shifts were associated with more frequent failures of attention, memory, and concentration in telephone nurses. Exposure to a stressful shift was also associated with a measurable increase in objectively assessed information-processing errors. Nurses who experienced more frequent cognitive failures at work made more conservative decisions, tending to refer patients on to other health professionals more often than other nurses. As stress is associated with cognitive performance decrements in telephone nursing, stress-reduction interventions could improve the quality and safety of care that callers to medical helplines receive.
AB - Nurses working for telephone-based medical helplines must maintain attentional focus while quickly and accurately processing information given by callers to make safe and appropriate treatment decisions. In this study, both higher levels of general occupational stress and elevated stress levels on particular shifts were associated with more frequent failures of attention, memory, and concentration in telephone nurses. Exposure to a stressful shift was also associated with a measurable increase in objectively assessed information-processing errors. Nurses who experienced more frequent cognitive failures at work made more conservative decisions, tending to refer patients on to other health professionals more often than other nurses. As stress is associated with cognitive performance decrements in telephone nursing, stress-reduction interventions could improve the quality and safety of care that callers to medical helplines receive.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84898827212&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/bjop.12030
DO - 10.1111/bjop.12030
M3 - Article
C2 - 24754808
AN - SCOPUS:84898827212
SN - 0007-1269
VL - 105
SP - 200
EP - 213
JO - British Journal of Psychology
JF - British Journal of Psychology
IS - 2
ER -