The effect of stress on health and its implications for nursing

Stress is an important issue within nursing and it is difficult to find agreement among those who are expert in the area regarding a concise definition of stress. Nevertheless stress is seen as a negative feeling affecting people's health either physically and/or psychologically. However, stress is a normal part of life and considered necessary to increase functional capacity, whereas stress over a prolonged period or when extreme can cause distress which may have debilitating effects that reduce work output, increase absenteeism and reduce one's ability to cope with situations. The most important resource in any organisation is the employee; therefore maintaining and supporting their health is vital to ensure their ability to work, maintain standards and continuously improve standards of care. Leadership styles within organisations must facilitate staff to be involved in decision making; thereby staff feel more valued and work in an autonomous way. This article identifies and discusses the effect of stress on health and its relationship to nursing.