4 in 10 ICU nurses facing anxiety, depression, PTSD

Four in ten ICU nurses are experiencing complaints like anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress as a result of work, according to a study by Radboudumc in Nijmegen and Erasmus MC in Rotterdam.

In October, they surveyed 600 ICU nurses throughout the Netherlands.

According to the researchers, half of the participating nurses have an increased risk of absenteeism due to work-related fatigue. "One in four ICU nurses has been unable to work for a time since the Covid-19 pandemic, mainly because of physical or mental complaints. A quarter of them are still not fully back to work," the researchers said. 

The research also shows that one in three is thinking about quitting as an intensive care nurse.

Nurses in intensive care units want to have more say in the organization of catch-up care, need more flexible schedules, and want to work in permanent teams. They also want more colleagues in the workplace so that the work pressure on them is lower. They also say they still experience a lot of support from family, friends, and direct colleagues. "However, the perceived support of Dutch society has decreased drastically," according to the university hospitals.