Construction of a stress scale specific to intensive care units: the PS-ICU scale

International audienceRationale: The intensive care units (ICU) are fertile ground for the emergence of professional stressors. Assessed by individuals as situations that weaken or are beyond their resources, work-related stressors impact the mental and physical health of workers and the quality and safety of care. Currently, many tools are used to assess caregiver stress in ICU, but do not consider the specificity of this work. The objective of this international and multicentric study was to develop a perceived stress scale specific to ICU.Patients and methods: Interviews were conducted with 166 caregivers (84 nurses and 81 physicians) in four countries (France, Italy, Spain, Canada). These interviews were recorded, transcribed and then a thematic analysis was carried out to identify stress factors. A first version of the scale was pre-tested with 70 caregivers (30 physicians and 40 nurses) in the same countries. Finally, we carried out qualitative and quantitative analyses select the most relevant items.Results: We identified 99 stressors specific to the ICU that were grouped into eight main themes: stress in relation to 1) the patient, 2) the task to be performed, 3) the institutional context, 4) the team, 5) the organization of the unit, 6) the personal dimensions, 7) the patient’s family, 8) the working conditions. Following the pre-test, 50 items were selected to constitute the PS-ICU scale.Conclusion: Our results highlight specific items related to vital risk/emergency management and ethically and morally problematic situations. These dimensions will be discussed and compared against existing scales (e.g., JCQ). The PS-ICU scale will allow to better identify and measure stressors in ICU. This scale will contribute to the development of targeted actions in terms of prevention, training and support for professionals. The creation of an internationally validated tool will make it possible to develop comparative studies on cultural and organizational factors