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Abstract

Objectives: Intensive Care Units (ICUs) require highly specialized nursing care, often provided under significant pressure. This review explores the challenges and experiences faced by ICU nurses, with particular emphasis on psychological, organizational, and interpersonal factors that influence their professional practice and overall well-being.
Methods and Materials: A descriptive exploratory review was conducted using Google Scholar and PubMed. The search strategy was guided by Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and Boolean operators. Inclusion criteria were limited to peer-reviewed studies published in English within the past ten years. After applying relevance and accessibility filters, 25 studies were selected comprising qualitative research, mixed-methods studies, and systematic reviews from an initial pool of approximately 109,000 articles.
Results: Five main themes emerged from the review. First, emotional and psychological challenges were prominent, with burnout, moral distress, and compassion fatigue frequently reported among ICU nurses. Second, organizational factors such as high patient-to-nurse ratios, extended working hours, and limitations in staffing and workload were associated with decreased quality of care. Third, issues with interprofessional collaboration were identified, particularly poor communication and hierarchical structures that impeded effective teamwork. Fourth, interactions between nurses and patients’ families highlighted the critical supportive role of nurses but also introduced additional emotional strain. Finally, while nurses described developing resilience through coping strategies such as professional development, mindfulness, and peer support, these mechanisms were often insufficient to counteract the systemic pressures present in ICU settings.
Conclusions: ICU nurses face complex and multifaceted challenges that impact both their well-being and patient safety. While individual resilience strategies offer some relief, sustainable improvement requires systemic reforms, including adequate staffing, structured psychological support, and enhanced interprofessional collaboration.