Improving sleep quality relieves occupational stress in nurses of cardiac surgical intensive care unit

Background: This study aimed to investigate the status and correlation between occupational stress and sleep quality of the nurses working in the cardiac surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Methods: Sixty cardiac surgical ICU nurses from two central hospitals in Shanghai were investigated by a general information questionnaire and the Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition OSI-R (OSI-R) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) from October 2013 to February 2014. The Pearson's correlation was used to analyse the data. Results: The total score of Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition (OSI-R) was 401.76 ± 24.98. The scores of occupational role, personal strain and personal resource questionnaires were 147.88 ± 17.65, 90.78 ± 12.59 and 114.78 ± 19.76, respectively. The total score of PSQI was 6.26 ± 3.41, which was significantly higher than that of the normal population of China (P<0.01). The occupational role of cardiac surgical ICU nurses was negatively correlated with sleep efficiency (P<0.05), and positively correlated with daytime dysfunction (P<0.01) and SQI (P<0.05). The individual stress response was negatively correlated with sleep duration (P<0.05), and positively correlated with daytime dysfunction (P<0.01). Personal resources were negatively correlated with sleep quality, time to fall asleep and sleep duration (P<0.05), and positively correlated with sleep efficiency and sleep quality index (P<0.05). Conclusions: The occupational stress level and sleep quality of cardiac surgical ICU nurses are below the average level, and certain correlation exists between occupational stress and sleep quality. Improving the sleep quality of cardiac surgical ICU nurses is an effective way to relieve the occupational stress.