Sources and symptoms of stress among nurses in the first Chinese anti-Ebola medical team during the Sierra Leone aid mission: A qualitative study

Liu, Chunzi; Wang, Huaming; Zhou, Lin; Xie, Hui; Yang, Huiyin; Yu, Yanbo; Sha, Huayan; Yang, Ying; Zhang, Xin

Faced with an unfamiliar living environment, complex public safety issues, tough natural conditions, and severe disease outbreak situations in Sierra Leone, this first medical team experienced many different stressors. Unsafety and unfamiliarity were the most significant sources of stress. Mishel suggested that feeling unsafe may occur during events or with diseases that cannot be precisely explained and categorized, but with predictable and undesirable outcomes [23] . During this anti-Ebola medical mission, an unsafe feeling may occur during diagnosis, treatment, prediction of transmission routes, and deciphering the disease infectivity. Under such circumstances, reliable and timely scientific evidence can help the medical staff to lower their feelings of unsafety, face the risks, and relieve unnecessary stress. This study suggests that full cooperation between the medical team and local hospital in both the front-and rear lines, safety training, and close communication with the worldwide disease control centers are necessary. The medical team members can obtain updates about the disease and ensure smooth information flow so that all involved can properly understand the risks.