Australian-first study to better support ICU nurses underway at Fiona Stanley Hospital
Paige Gleason (left) with Dr Ruth Wei.
An Australian-first study is underway at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) seeking to support Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses working in an adult ICU with evidence-based strategies.
The ‘Exploring the perceived stress of nurses working in a single-room adult ICU in Western Australia’ or ‘WISEN’ study will use a cross-sectional approach to explore nurses’ perceived stress and experiences of working in single-room adult ICU, as well as benefits, challenges and support required through an online survey.
Single-room layouts are becoming more common in ICUs around the world. Although some patient benefits reported include enhanced privacy, lower infection rates, reduced noise levels, better sleep quality, decreased delirium and fewer medical errors, nurses have reported feeling increased stress, isolation, and reduced satisfaction. Furthermore, prior studies primarily focused on neonatal or paediatric ICU settings rather than adults.
“By better understanding ICU nurses’ experience of working in single-room adult ICUs, we can identify the challenges and their contributing factors and establish the types of supports required for these nurses., Coordinating Principal Investigator of the study, ICU Acting Clinical Nurse and Research Intern Paige Gleason said,
“Based on the findings of this study, development of evidence-based strategies will aim to support nurses in this care environment and address the literature gap for other health services to learn from.”
Demographic and work-related factors that impact stress levels of ICU nurses’ working in single-room adult ICUs will also be explored in this study.
Paige is working with Associate Investigator of the study, Project supervisor/Senior Lecturer at Murdoch University, Dr Ruth Wei, and Acting Clinical Nurse Manager- Nursing and Midwifery Research Unit, Carrie Janerka.
This project receives in-kind funding from Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals Group as part of South Metropolitan Health Services and is aiming for completion in June 2026.
Keep up to date with our news and achievements
Find out more on Facebook (external site) or LinkedIn (external site)