Assessment of the occupational stress among nuclear medicine technical professionals in India

Abstract

BackgroundOccupational stress has become subject of focus for studies involving healthcare professionals and it is a serious health issue. Occupational stress can lead to several negative consequences not only to the professionals but also for those who directly or indirectly deal or involve with them. This study was conducted to assess the occupational stress among nuclear medicine technical professionals across the country. Materials and methodsThe study was conducted in 2 phases: Phase I involved the modification and validation of the questionnaire, whereas phase II involved data collection. A cross-sectional, time-bound web-based study using convenience sampling was carried out in India. Data was collected using Nuclear Medicine Occupational Stress Questionnaire (NMOSQ) via google forms. Data was analysed using SPSS 16. Data was normally distributed and mean and standard deviations were reported for continuous data. Chi square test was used to find association between categorical variables. ResultsOut of 450, 225 nuclear medicine technical professionals responded, yielded a response rate of 51%. Prevalence of stress among nuclear medicine technical profession was 89%; higher in Indian setting. Different domains of NMOSQ exhibited different levels of stress among study population. ConclusionThis study helps to identify certain factors that contribute towards work-related stress. These in turn have an impact on the overall professional output of a professional.