Authors

1José Antonio Simarro Blasco, 2Mónica Bascuñana Blasco, 2María Carina Noheda Blasco, 3Milagros Noheda Recuenco, 3Blanca Notario

Position

¹Supervisor de Enfermería Unidad Obstétrico-Ginecológica y Paritorio. Profesor asociado clínico de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha.²Grupo Fiscam (Fundación para la Investigación Sanitaria en Castilla-La Mancha)³Enfermera de Medicina Intensiva en el Hospital Virgen de la Luz, Cuenca. Instructora de Soporte Vital Avanzado.

Contact address

Avda. San Julián, 38, 5º C. 16002 Cuenca.

Contact email: jasimarro@sescam.jccm.es

Abstract

Learning is a necessarily ongoing process used by professionals in the Intensive Care Unit. Depending on how we learn, we adapt differently to new and stressful situations.
Objectives: to identify and analyse the most prevalent learning styles in nursing professionals working in an intensive care unit; to assess the perception of stress of these professionals when faced with different situations in clinical practice, and to ascertain the relationship between the degrees of learning styles and stress.
Material and method: descriptive, analytical and cross-sectional study performed in December 2008 with intensive care nurses from the Virgen de la Cruz Hospital (Cuenca). The Honey-Alonso Learning Styles questionnaire (CHAEA) (4 styles: active, reflexive, theoretical and pragmatic, with 5 degrees grouped into 2 groups: L/VL and M/H/VH) and the KEZKAK stress assessment questionnaire (40 items scored 0-3, grouped into 9 values) were administered to all members of staff. We determine a factor to be stressful when the item’s mean is > 1,5. Statistical analysis was performed using the ANOVA test and the Kruskal-Wallis test, with statistical signification of p < 0,05 and a 95% confidence interval.
Results: 40 nurses completed the questionnaires. 60% (n=24) of stressful situations obtained a mean score > 1,5, with “Picking the wrong medication” and its 2,88 value and “Not doing my job well and negatively impacting the patient” and its 2.85 value standing out. Six of the nine categories (67%) were perceived as stressful, with “Lack of competence” standing out with a 2,37 value. The most prevalent learning style was reflexive with a mean score of 16,73 ± 2,61.
There are almost no differences between reflexive, theoretical and pragmatic learning styles in the low and very low degrees, with percentages ranging from 10% to 15%. However, in the active style the percentage of the low and very low groups is 37,5%. Means for the “lack of competence” perception category are higher in all levels of learning styles. The stress level due to “contact with suffering” and “having no control over the relationship with the patient” shows significant differences depending on the degrees of active, reflexive and theoretical learning styles observed.
Conclusions: the most prevalent learning style of the nursing professionals in our unit is reflexive and theoretical. A higher level of stress is associated with low levels of active learning style and high levels of reflexive and theoretical learning styles. Reflecting and assessing risk before acting, rather than taking risks or acting in an improvised manner, also entails a higher perception of stress when faced with complicated situations.

Keywords:

stress; learning styles; intensive carepsychological adaptation

Versión en Español

Título:

Estrés en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos en función de los grados de estilos de aprendizaje