Perioperative Staff Resiliency During Times of War and Natural Disasters

Perioperative nursing is a caring art, based on the creative application of critical knowledge and skill, and the knowledge that each perioperative nurse is competent in providing quality and individualized patient care. Perioperative nurses take pride in caring for others but do they realize the importance of taking care of themselves and taking care of each other? This article describes the current interpersonal, environmental, and physical stressors for perioperative nurses who provide surgical care for patients with traumatic war injuries or those injured in natural disasters, at three echelons of care within the available health care systems. The article also describes coping strategies that lead to individual resiliency, staff resiliency, and effective teamwork, versus ineffective coping, stress-induced reactions, and maladaptive responses.