Posttraumatic Stress Syndrome and Implications for Practice in Critical Care Nurses.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex, often debilitating, disorder that has far-reaching effects, including anxiety, depression, burnout, and compassion fatigue. Working as a critical care unit nurse can be physically and emotionally demanding. Critical care nurses are at increased risk of developing PTSD compared with general care nurses. Employers are also affected due to increased rates of attrition, absenteeism, and general decreased quality in patient care. There is conflicting evidence related to which factors contribute to PTSD but increased resilience holds the most promise for preventing PTSD and its detrimental effects on critical care nurses.