An analysis of characteristic occupational stressors for medical staff in general hospitals

Abstract

Objective To explore the status, characteristics and factors in relation to occupational stress for medical staffs in tertiary general hospitals. Methods A total of 2460 medical staff were sampled in five tertiary general hospitals in Beijing, with their occupational stress levels evaluated with the Occupational Stress Inventory. Results The top ten stressors as found ranked as heavy duty, high risk exposure, high workload, low wages, setbacks in the health care management system, insufficient staffing, excessively frequent inspections and examinations, strained doctor-patient relationship, price inflation, frequent overtime, and pressure from continuous learning. Occupational stress is seen as moderate and above by 95.2% of the surveyed. Differences in age, gender, marital status, professional title, education, work experience, as well as those of different organizations, departments, professions, and duty were found to be statistically significant in regard of professional stress. Conclusions Stress management should be in place targeting demographic and stress characteristics. Effective measures are recommended to alleviate the pressure on medical staff, in order to maintain their physical and mental health, hence improving their work efficiency and organizational cohesion. Key words: Medical staff; Occupational stressor; Demographic characteristics