Co-Designing Online Education to Build Resilience in ICU Nurses: Insights from Lived Experience
Conference Contribution ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Background: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses are at heightened risk of burnout, compassion fatigue, depression, and PTSD due to unique exposure to trauma, death, and ethically challenging care situations (Cho & Kang, 2017; Hancock et al., 2020). A review of literature identified several effective wellbeing interventions in ICU including mindfulness, positive psychology, exercise, reflection, peer support, cognitive behaviour therapy and psychoeducation. While it is clear wellbeing interventions have a positive effect on ICU nurse resilience, these interventions lack alignment with nurses’ lived experiences, and the effectiveness of delivering them via online education remains unexplored. Aim: This study explored ICU nurses’ experiences and perspectives to inform the design of an online education intervention targeted at strengthening resilience in ICU nurses. It addressed three questions: 1. What experiences illustrate the psychosocial challenges of ICU nursing? 2. What strategies do ICU nurses use to manage stress? 3. What content should be included in resilience-building online education? Methods: A participatory co-design approach was used, involving focus groups with ICU nurses of varying experience levels. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes and a mini-Delphi method was then used to refine the content through participant feedback. Results: Experienced nurses described pressures from patient turnover, role overload, and reduced support. Less experienced nurses reported transition shock, fear of failure, and difficulty seeking help. Coping strategies included exercise, sleep, mindfulness, gratitude, and psychological support. Recommended content included recognising burnout, self-assessing wellbeing, understanding organisational impacts, and learning evidence-based strategies. Cultural change and normalising help-seeking were emphasised. Conclusion: Findings from this study highlight the diverse psychosocial challenges faced by ICU nurses across experience levels and the practical strategies they use to cope. These insights, combined with literature evidence, provide a foundation for designing a targeted online education intervention to support resilience and wellbeing in ICU.
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The Australian College of Critical Care Nurses 2026 Annual Education Meeting
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1
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Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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The Australian College of Critical Care Nurses
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Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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