Assessment of Nurses's Work Stress at EL- Minia University Hospitals

Abstract

Nursing is a stressful career; occupational stress is a common occurrence in health professions. Job stressors and low job control have been shown to be risk factors for patient safety and lead to poor job performance including reduced quality of nursing care. This study aimed to identify causes, level, and frequency of work stress on nurses at EL-Minia University Hospitals. Methodology: Research design: The study was developed within descriptive approach. Setting: The study was carried out at EL-Minia and Suzan Mubarak University Hospitals in El-Minia Governorate. Subjects: All nurses (158) who worked in all general and critical departments at El-Minia University Hospital (n= 115) and Suzan Mubarak University Hospital (n= 43) in the period from 1 July 2011 to 30 November 2011. Tools of study: The study tools consisted of two tools; they include 1- Demographic data sheet 2- stress scale. Results: Less than two thirds of the studied sample had moderate level of stress; more than two thirds of the studied sample had severe level of the stress. Conclusions: There were statistically significant relation between level of education and stress level in the two hospitals. While there were no statistically significant differences between other demographic characteristics and stress levels in the two hospitals, and the most common causes of stress with the nurses who worked at El-Minia and Suzan Mubarak University Hospitals are considered death, dying, work load, and uncertainty concerning treatment respectively. Recommendations: Organizing stress management program that focuses on different categories of nurses at all hierarchical levels