Work-related Stress and the General Health of Nursing Staffs in Zahedans’ Hospitals Emergency Wards(2004)

Introduction: Medical professionals are often under the influence of stress due to the responsibility of providing patients with comfort and care.  Working conditions in hospitals create much stress and anxiety and can affect the health of staff, especially the nurses.  This study was designed to investigate the job stressors of nursing personnel in the emergency wards of Zahedans’ hospitals during 2004.

Materials & Methods: This descriptive study investigated the levels of occupational stress and general health in 63 nurses working in the emergency wards of hospitals in the city of Zahedan.  It was conducted using the Goldberg Standard General Health Questionnaire-28 as well as a questionnaire indicating managerial, interpersonal, physical and personal stresses.

Results: The results showed that tension-creating factors in the studied individuals were mostly care-related stressors (2/54) and managerial stressors (2/28) respectively. The levels of stress were higher in nurses than in nurse hands (Behyars). Statistical analysis (T-test) showed a significant difference between nurses & nurse hands regarding managerial (p=0/02) and personal factors (p=0/03). There was also a significantly negative correlation between general level of health amongst staffs and job-related stress (r=-0.3).

Conclusion: The prevalence of stress in the personnel of the emergency wards of this study necessitates the modification of management structures, as well as the reduction of  care-related and personal stress.  Such improvements might reduce the degree of psychological pressure and occupational burnout and help improve the mental health of nurses.