Abstract
BackgroundOccupational stress exists in every profession, nevertheless, the nursing profession appears to experience more stress at work compared to other health care workers. Unmanaged stress leads to high levels of employee dissatisfaction, illness, absenteeism, high turnover, and decreased productivity that compromise provision of quality service to clients. However, there is a scarcity of information about nurses’ job stress in Jimma zone public hospital nurses.The aim of the present study was to assess job related stress and its predictors among nurses working in Jimma Zone public hospitals, South-West Ethiopia in 2014.MethodAn institution based cross sectional study was conducted from March 10 to April 10, 2014 through a census of nurses who are working in Jimma Zone public hospitals using a structured self-administered questionnaire. SPSS Statistics Version 20 used. For the outcome variable: overall job related stress, the participant’s responses on each item score summed: a stress score ranging from a minimum of 26 and maximum score of 116. The higher the sum the more the stressed the nurse. The level of stress calculated through tertial the lower to low stress, the middle to moderate & the higher to high stress. Moreover, bivariate and multivariable linear regressions done to see the association between the predictor (sex, age, mutual understanding at work, Job satisfaction and working unit/department) and the outcome variable (Job related stress).ResultsA total of 341 nurses working in Jimma Zone public hospitals were given the questionnaire, and the response rate was 92.3 % (315). This study indicated an average overall job related stress level of 58.46 ± 12.62. The highest level of job related stress was on the sub scale of dealing with death & dying mean score of 62.94 % followed by uncertainty regarding patient treatment 57.72 % and workload 57.6 %. While job related stress from sexual harassment had the lowest mean score of 46.19 %.ConclusionOverall job related stress varies across working unit. Working in a chronic illness follow up clinic, the mutual understanding at work between nurse & physician and job satisfaction were negatively associated predictors of job related stress.
Highlights
Occupational stress exists in every profession, the nursing profession appears to experience more stress at work compared to other health care workers
A total of 341 nurses working in Jimma Zone public hospitals were given the questionnaire, and the response rate was 92.3 % (315)
The highest level of job related stress was on the sub scale of dealing with death & dying mean score of 62.94 % followed by uncertainty regarding patient treatment 57.72 % and workload 57.6 %
Summary
Occupational stress exists in every profession, the nursing profession appears to experience more stress at work compared to other health care workers. Nurses play a pivotal role in any health care institution and encompass the largest workforce in any health care institution; they act as direct caregivers who serve a hospital twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This gives nurses a unique perspective on both patient care and hospital operations [1]. Medical emergencies added to the tension of patient care, and nurses deal with grief and loss when a patient dies. All of these factors can increase a nurse’s stress level and affect nurse health [3]
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