Anxiety, depression, suicide reported by nurses on the frontline

Working on the front line of healthcare is having a devastating effect on nurses.

That’s what has become apparent from a new study done by researchers at the University of Regina.

Spearheaded by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union (CFNU), the results suggest that overtime and unsustainable workloads, along with the threat of violence on the job, has negatively impacted the health of nurses.

A total of 7,358 Canadian regulated nurses (RNs, LPNs, RPNs, MPs) began the survey and 43.6 per cent of participants completed the survey. Participants were primarily university-educated women working full time, with more than 10 years on the job.

Many participants, roughly 23 per cent, had symptoms consistent with PTSD, and 33 per cent reported having suicidal thoughts at some point in their career.

The survey found there are indications of a stigma among nurses to admit these issues and a fear of reprisal or job loss.

Over half, 54 per cent of Canadian nurses in one sample, reported having to arrive early or stay late to finish their work, and 62 per cent reported working through their breaks.

All of this can have an impact on patient care as nurses report being unable to properly care for their patients and experience high levels of job burnout, and patients report lower satisfaction with the care received.

Participants who chose not to seek help, despite indicating they did not receive enough help, most frequently reported a preference to manage their mental health challenges on their own.

“A cycle of excessive overtime and unsustainable workloads, with widespread verbal and physical violence, have led to a decline in nurses’ health, including nurses’ mental health. With a growing nurse shortage evident in many parts of the country, and further nurse shortages on the horizon, this situation is likely to worsen,” CFNU president Linda Silas said. “The data confirms that it is a pressure cooker out there for front line nurses.”

The entire survey can be found here.