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A comparison of stressors for nurses and technicians working on kidney dialysis units

University of British Columbia

There is a prolific number of research articles postulating the origins of stress experienced by nurses employed on kidney dialysis units; yet there is little consensus as to these etiologies. Alternatively, there are very few research articles focusing on the origins of stress experienced by dialysis technicians, despite their role in the team approach to patient care. Both of these situations are exacerbated by the apparent absence of an evaluative instrument suitable for such studies. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument appropriate for stress related research involving dialysis nurses and technicians. In addition, the study attempted to develop a clearer understanding as to which stressors impact on nurses and technicians, and in particular, to determine whether these stressors were different for the two groups. Specifically, the study examined whether there was any significant group interaction, and whether there were any group differences in the performance of the nurses and technicians on the Sources of Stress Inventory (the measure developed for this study). The sample consisted of 20 registered nurses and 12 technicians who were employed on kidney dialysis units in two different medical centers/hospitals in Los Angeles. These participants were administered the Sources of Stress Inventory. Statistical procedures used to analyze the data included Profile Analysis and Hotelling's test (T²). Profile analysis indicated that overall, there was no significant group interaction and there were no significant group differences between the performance of the nurses and technicians on the Sources of Stress Inventory. The major stressors were identified and found to be similar for both groups. Psychometric analysis on the Sources of Stress Inventory indicated that with internal consistency based on Hoyt's estimate of reliability of .93, the measure may become amiable tool for those researchers studying the origins of stress experienced by kidney dialysis nurses and technicians.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2008-10-11

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/2586

Counselling Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace