Perceptions Of Workload Research Articles

An exploration of undergraduate nursing students' experiences of mentorship in an Irish hospital.

Mentorship is the support model of choice for nursing practice in Ireland and although it follows a similar approach to that provided thus far in the UK, there is little available evidence about the students' lived experience of mentorship and the extent to which it facilitates their development. To explore undergraduate nursing students' experiences of mentorship in hospital. The study used a qualitative approach. Newell and Burnard's (2011) 6-stage pragmatic approach to qualitative data analysis guided the collection and analysis of data. A purposive sample of six was drawn from fourth-year students who participated in a semi-structured interview. Six main categories emerged from the data: reality versus expectation of mentorship; student's perception of self; personal feelings and expectations of mentorship; perception of workload; barriers and enablers of mentorship; student perceptions of mentor preparedness. Interpersonal relationships between student and mentor were a pivotal concept in all of the categories. Despite its flaws, participants felt that the concept of mentorship was valuable and worthwhile. This study has shown that the personal and interpersonal aspects of mentorship can have both positive and negative effects on the participants' development as nurses. Although students felt that they achieved their learning outcomes, there were times when this was despite guidance from their mentors. Although this was a small study, the generalisability of the findings and conclusions to similar clinical contexts is likely to be high.

Faculty and resident perceptions of surgical resident workload in comparison to objective data

BackgroundLittle is known of the way in which stakeholders in surgical education perceive trainee workload. MethodsA web-based survey examining the perception of current resident workload (as a percentage of daytime activities) was distributed to the faculty and residents in a Canadian general surgery residency program. The analysis compared the trainee and faculty responses against a 660-hour resident workload observation dataset. ResultsA total of 17 residents and 16 faculty completed the survey (74%, 67% participation). The resident estimations of workload were accurate for task categories (r = 0.91) and individual tasks (r = 0.92). The faculty estimations were accurate for task category (r = 0.90) but less so for individual tasks (r = 0.78). The residents perceived that significantly less time was allocated toward educational activities than faculty. Both of the groups underestimated the amount of time spent on indirect patient care (IPC). ConclusionThe faculty overestimate educational tasks as a proportion of workload. Both of the groups underestimated IPC tasks. This information can guide resident training program design and be used to bridge gaps between resident and faculty perceptions of resident workload.

Repeated assessments and predictors of nurses' shift-specific perceived workload.

Workload perception is of interest to researchers and policymakers as it captures subjective assessments of nurses' workload which has implications for staffing and patient outcomes. We aimed to describe repeated assessments of nurses' perceived workload among registered nurses (RNs) in day and night shifts and to examine the association of perceived workload with workdays, units, and nurse-staffing. Repeated data on the indictors of interest were collected from 90 RNs across 91 shifts in a Lebanese acute-care hospital. Perceived workload was assessed using the NASA-Task-Load Index (NASA-TLX). Linear mixed-effect models were used for analysis. Mean perceived workload was high reaching 6.63 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.34, 6.92) in day and 5.90 (95% CI = 5.43, 6.36) in night shifts. In mixed-effect models, perceived workload was lower on weekends/holidays as compared to weekdays in day (ß = -.32; 95% CI = -0.53, -0.12) and night (ß = -.46; 95% CI = -0.85, -0.07) shifts. Higher perceived workload (ß = .19; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.33) was associated with higher patient-to-nurse ratio in the day but not night shifts. Repeated workload assessments support the presence of elevated perceived workload among RNs which is related to weekdays and higher patient-to-nurse ratio. Future investigations would benefit from better characterization of workload particularities to address perceived burden and improve organizational and management decisions.

Engaging Trainees by Enriching Nephrology Elective Experiences.

Engaging Trainees by Enriching Nephrology Elective Experiences.

Nurse leaders' perceptions of workload and task distribution in public healthcare: A qualitative explorative study.

Unreasonable workload and work-related stress can reduce nurse leaders' job satisfaction and productivity and can increase absence and burnout. Nurse leaders' workload in public healthcare settings is relatively unresearched. The aim of this study was to investigate nurse leaders' perceptions of workload and task distribution with relation to leading work tasks in public healthcare. A qualitative explorative design was used. The data material consisted of texts from interviews with nurse leaders in public healthcare (N=8). The method was inspired by content analysis. The COREQ checklist was used. Informed consent was sought from the participants regarding study participation and the storage and handling of data for research purposes. Six main themes were found: Increased and unreasonable workload, Length of work experience as nurse leader affects perception of workload, Number of staff and staff characteristics affect perception of workload, Versatile and flexible task distribution, Working overtime as a way of managing high workload and Insufficient time for leadership mission. The workload for nurse leaders in a public healthcare setting was perceived to be unreasonable. Common measures for managing high workload included working overtime, delegating work tasks and organising more staff resources in the form of additional staff. How nurse leaders perceive their workload was linked to both the number of staff and staff characteristics. These should both be considered equally important when determining staff levels and measuring nurse leaders' workload. Future research should focus on investigating workload and task distribution from nurses' perspectives. Through this study, greater understanding of workload and the diverse work of nurse leaders in a public healthcare setting has been revealed, which can be used to further develop the framework for nurse leaders' work.

국내 프로축구 전력분석관 실태조사

The aim of this study was to investigate the actual condition in order to provide basic information for improving the environment of performance analysts in Korea professional football league. A total of 29 performance analysts(1.26 per team) were registered for 23 domestic professional football teams, of which 25 were selected as a research subjects who responded to surveys and interviews. The main tasks of performance analysts were filming, analyzing our team and opposition team, training, meeting and feedback, and writing reports, and devoted the most time(10.82 hours per week) to analyzing opposing teams. More than half of the performance analysts(56%) were not satisfied with the current environment, and the reasons were their perception of performance analysts and excessive workload (small number of people, working hours). It is necessary to define the concept of the role of performance analysts based on the results of the survey, and to improve the environment for the current performance analysts and subsequent generations dreaming of becoming performance analysts based on the difficulties from the survey.

Factors Predicting Training Delays and Attrition of Recruits during Basic Military Training.

Ensuring a balance between training demands and recovery during basic military training (BMT) is necessary for avoiding maladaptive training responses (e.g., illness or injury). These can lead to delays in training completion and to training attrition. Previously identified predictors of injury and attrition during BMT include demographic and performance data, which are typically collected at a single time point. The aim of this study was to determine individual risk factors for injury and training delays from a suite of measures collected across BMT. A total of 46 male and female recruits undertaking the 12-week Australian Army BMT course consented to this study. Injury, illness, attrition, and demographic data were collected across BMT. Objective measures included salivary cortisol and testosterone, step counts, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular endurance. Perceptions of well-being, recovery, workload, fatigue, and sleep were assessed with questionnaires. Baseline and mean scores across BMT were evaluated as predictors of injury and attrition using generalized linear regressions, while repeated-measures ANOVA was used for the group comparisons. From the 46 recruits, 36 recruits completed BMT on time; 10 were delayed in completion or discharged. Multiple risk factors for injury during BMT included higher subjective ratings of training load, fatigue, and stress, lower sleep quality, and higher cortisol concentrations. Higher ratings of depression, anxiety, and stress, and more injuries were associated with a higher risk of delayed completion. Higher concentrations of testosterone and higher levels of fitness upon entry to BMT were associated with reduced risk of injury and delayed completion of BMT. Ongoing monitoring with a suite of easily administered measures may have utility in forewarning risk of training maladaptation in recruits and may complement strategies to address previously identified demographic and performance-based risk factors to mitigate injury, training delays, and attrition.

An Evaluation of the EEG Alpha-to-Theta and Theta-to-Alpha Band Ratios as Indexes of Mental Workload.

Many research works indicate that EEG bands, specifically the alpha and theta bands, have been potentially helpful cognitive load indicators. However, minimal research exists to validate this claim. This study aims to assess and analyze the impact of the alpha-to-theta and the theta-to-alpha band ratios on supporting the creation of models capable of discriminating self-reported perceptions of mental workload. A dataset of raw EEG data was utilized in which 48 subjects performed a resting activity and an induced task demanding exercise in the form of a multitasking SIMKAP test. Band ratios were devised from frontal and parietal electrode clusters. Building and model testing was done with high-level independent features from the frequency and temporal domains extracted from the computed ratios over time. Target features for model training were extracted from the subjective ratings collected after resting and task demand activities. Models were built by employing Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machines and Decision Trees and were evaluated with performance measures including accuracy, recall, precision and f1-score. The results indicate high classification accuracy of those models trained with the high-level features extracted from the alpha-to-theta ratios and theta-to-alpha ratios. Preliminary results also show that models trained with logistic regression and support vector machines can accurately classify self-reported perceptions of mental workload. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating the richness of the information in the temporal, spectral and statistical domains extracted from the alpha-to-theta and theta-to-alpha EEG band ratios for the discrimination of self-reported perceptions of mental workload.

Workplace Disruption in the Public Sector and HRM Practices to Enhance Employee Resilience

This article aims to analyze workplace dynamics in the public sector under highly disruptive environments. Survey data collected from 1,430 public employees in South Korea reveal that workload and work intensity have increased 13% to 15% on average compared to pre-pandemic conditions. Yet this impact on working conditions seems to be unevenly distributed across the public sector; the proportion of pandemic-affected workforce in each public organization ranged from 10% to 80%. More than 70% reported flexible work arrangements in place to alleviate the disruption, though less than 20% enjoyed access to occupational health and safety consultation to handle this change. We found that baby boomer men, who have the fewest family responsibilities, are most satisfied with flexible work arrangements, while millennial women, with the most domestic commitments, are least satisfied, leaving ample room for improvement. Results of a randomized survey experiment showed that resilience-enhancing Human Resource Management (HRM) practices such as special leave assistance programs influenced civil servants’ perceptions of workload and work intensity. Higher levels of satisfaction with resilience-enhancing HRM were found to be associated with lower levels of turnover intention, though this relationship was weaker among employees whose work became too intense or heavy (“numbing effect”) under the pandemic.

Exploring Workload Associated With Learning Foot Core Exercises

Patients and clinicians have expressed frustration when learning or teaching intrinsic foot muscle exercises. However, there is limited information on how patients perceive the workload of an exercise. This study evaluates participants’ perceptions of workload while learning intrinsic foot muscle exercises with or without neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Twenty-six individuals completed a 4-week supervised intrinsic foot muscle training program. Thirteen participants utilized neuromuscular electrical stimulation during the initial 2 weeks of training. Participant perceptions of workload, measured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index, revealed decreasing load over 2 weeks and minimal load at 4 weeks. Inclusion of neuromuscular electrical stimulation did not affect perception of load of skill acquisition.

Telework and perceived workload: Learnings prior to the COVID-19 upheaval

During COVID-19, telework has become a new form of work for broader groups of workers who were not teleworking prior to the pandemic. In this study, we ask what we will be returning to after COVID-19, if teleworking will become a new norm or if most workplaces will merely return to the old forms of work. The main research question of this study was to estimate the role of telework in perception of workload. More specifically, to gain an understanding of the stakes involved when reorganizing work after the pandemic, we analysed the relationship between perceived workload and opportunities to telework. Multilevel analysis utilized representative national data of wage earners in Finland (N = 4091). The findings showed that the opportunity to telework is associated with lower perceived workload in the capital area but not in the rural areas. More specifically, increasing telework opportunities among different-level workers, particularly in educational and social work in the capital area, would be beneficial in terms of increasing well-being at work. There could be good reasons for organizations to reject returning to the status quo ex ante after COVID-19 and to consider the new norm, where opportunities to telework are offered to wider worker groups.

Evaluating workload and manpower planning among pediatric emergency department nurses in Turkey during COVID-19: A cross-sectional, multicenter study

PurposeQuality nursing care in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) can be achieved only through sustained workload-based manpower planning. The purpose of this paper to evaluate perceptions of workload and manpower planning in the PED setting in Turkey from the nurses' point of view. Design and methodsThis cross-sectional, multicenter study that was conducted among 187 nurses working in a PED setting in Turkey between June and September 2021. Data were collected using a questionnaire that measured nurses' perceptions of workload and manpower planning. The reporting of this study adhered to STROBE guidelines. ResultsThe majority of the respondents perceived the number of patients-per-nurse during a shift to be too high, the number of nurses to be insufficient in proportion to the workload, and the nursing manpower-planning to be insufficient and biased. Those with ≤1 year of nursing experience in the PED perceived an increased workload and more burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic period. ConclusionsNurses working in PED setting perceived the workload and manpower planning to be inadequate. In addition, nurses who were less experienced or felt burnout perceived their workload to be increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practice implicationsFurther exploration of workload and manpower planning in PEDs is required. Quantifying nurses' perspectives of workload and manpower when managing emergency pediatric patients is essential for designing appropriate interventions to improve the working environment. Future studies should focus on comparing nurses' perceptions with actual workloads and manpower planning in PEDs using appropriate measurement tools.

A Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce Screen Time in a Children's Hospital.

The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that children age 2 and under should have little to no digital media exposure. However, most children are exposed to regular screen time at home. This may also be true for hospitalized children. Through education and access to alternatives, we aimed to reduce screen exposure in our children's hospital for children 2 and under. Between January 2020 and May 2021, we designed and implemented a quality improvement intervention to educate staff and caregivers on the American Academy of Pediatrics screen time recommendations and offer alternatives for hospitalized children. Our primary aim was to decrease screen time exposure for children age 2 and under by 50% within 12 months of project initiation. Balancing measures included staff perception of workload when using screens and perceived parental acceptance of screens being turned off. During baseline data collection period, screens were on for an average of 63% of the audits. Following interventions, the average was reduced to 40%. The outcome measure met special cause with 8 consecutive points below the center line. There was a significant increase in staff who reported offering screen alternatives after intervention. Staff perception of workload and perceived parental acceptance was unchanged. Through implementation of this quality improvement initiative, we reduced screen time by approximately 37% without impacting staff workload. Most importantly, we were able to educate staff and model best practices for caregivers, which may carry into the home, leading to a reduction of screen time and improved health overall.

The Effects of System Initiative during Conversational Collaborative Search

Our research in this paper lies at the intersection of collaborative and conversational search. We report on a Wizard of Oz lab study in which 27 pairs of participants collaborated on search tasks over the Slack messaging platform. To complete tasks, pairs of collaborators interacted with a so-called searchbot with conversational capabilities. The role of the searchbot was played by a reference librarian. It is widely accepted that conversational search systems should be able to engage in mixed-initiative interaction ---take and relinquish control of a multi-agent conversation as appropriate. Research in discourse analysis differentiates between dialog- and task-level initiative. Taking dialog-level initiative involves leading a conversation for the sole purpose of establishing mutual belief between agents. Conversely, taking task-level initiative involves leading a conversation with the intent to influence the goals of the other agent(s). Participants in our study experienced three searchbot conditions, which varied based on the level of initiative the human searchbot was able to take: (1) no initiative, (2) only dialog-level initiative, and (3) both dialog- and task-level initiative. We investigate the effects of the searchbot condition on six different types of outcomes: (RQ1) perceptions of the searchbot's utility, (RQ2) perceptions of workload, (RQ3) perceptions of the collaboration, (RQ4) patterns of communication and collaboration, and perceived (RQ5) benefits and (RQ6) challenges from engaging with the searchbot.

Mental health help-seeking among Brazilian medical students: Who suffers unassisted?

Several barriers for mental health help-seeking were identified among medical students, including minimizing mental illness. Studies examining aspects particular to those who perceive psychological impairment but do not access treatment are necessary for planning interventions. To identify help-seeking barriers based on the students' perception about their need for treatment and psychiatric symptoms. Methods: Cross-sectional study assessing 436 Brazilian medical students (833 attending the medical school = 52.3% response rate). Data collection covered sociodemographic data, mental health, academic environment, and Beck Inventories of Depression (BDI) and Anxiety (BAI). Non-parametric tests and hierarchical logistic regression were used to compare students undergoing treatment, those willing to access treatment, and the ones reporting no need for treatment. Among the 382 students who completed the survey (87.6% completion rate), 38.5% (n = 147) were in treatment, and 33% (n = 126) were in need. Moderate to severe risk of alcohol abuse was observed in 45.9% (n = 50) of students reporting no need for treatment. Regression models suggested that perceiving need for treatment - whether already undergoing it or not - was associated with the severity of depressive symptoms (OR 1.14 [95% CI 1.07-1.21]), female assigned sex (OR 2.18 [95% CI 1.23-3.88]), LGBTQ+ (OR 2.47 [95% CI 1.09-5.60]) and reporting good relationship with the family (OR 0.26 [95% CI 0.08-0.83]). Models comparing students in treatment and those in need, pointed that the factors associated with lacking mental health care were age (OR 0.90 [95% CI 0.82-0.99]), perception of a heavy workload (OR 2.43 [95% CI 1.35-4.38]) and good relationship with colleagues (OR 3.51 [95% CI 1.81-6.81]). Social variables and the severity of depressive symptoms are positively associated with perceived need for treatment. Age and academic environment factors were related to help-seeking behavior among students with appropriate self-awareness. We discuss these findings' implications for planning interventions.

Design and Evaluation of a Cyber Protection Team Planner Work Aid

Cyber Protection Teams (CPTs) are responsible for providing mission assurance by ensuring that mission-relevant cyber terrain is secure and protected for operations. In order to do this effectively, CPT planners must correlate and integrate information regarding customers’ missions with information about the systems and networks required to perform those missions. To support this challenge, a CPT Planner work aid was designed and evaluated to assess its effectiveness. The evaluation compared the work aid with current CPT planning methods. Ten participants with varying planning expertise performed four planning tasks (managing approvals, assigning resources, managing accesses, and scheduling meetings). To test the efficacy of the proposed work aid, participants were tasked with planning a fictional mission utilizing both the traditional planning method and the work aid method. Data was collected from objective metrics to include time and task performance score, as well as subjective perception of workload. In addition, participants were asked a series of situation awareness (SA) questions after each task to measure their understanding of the mission-relevant information. Score and time to answer SA questions were also recorded. While CPT planning experience did not have a significant effect on performance, results revealed significant improvements in task time, SA question response time, and perceived workload when using the work aid versus the baseline condition.

Effect of Electronic Portal Messaging With Embedded Asynchronous Care on Physician-Assisted Smoking Cessation Attempts

Despite the substantial health and financial burdens of smoking and the availability of effective, evidence-based interventions in primary care settings, few smokers and physicians use these strategies for smoking cessation. To evaluate whether electronic outreach to smokers with embedded asynchronous care increases the number of quit attempts and explore the roles of the message sender (ie, primary care physician [PCP] vs health care system) and patient-related characteristics. This quality improvement randomized clinical trial was designed to measure 2 factors: (1) electronic outreach messaging with and without a survey link to asynchronous care and (2) messaging by a personal PCP or health system. The study was conducted within the electronic health record and portal messaging platform of a large health system in the South Central US. Participants were adult patients 18 years or older who were designated as smokers in their electronic health records. Data were collected from January 13 to February 24, 2020, with participating PCPs surveyed in July 2020. Portal messages encouraging a quit attempt and offering physician assistance were sent to smokers who were randomly selected and assigned to 1 of 4 conditions (message with or without embedded asynchronous care and PCP or system as sender). Half of the messages contained an invitation to come to clinics and the other half contained a link to access asynchronous care. The primary outcome was electronic health record-documented quit attempts (1 indicates quit attempt; 0, no quit attempt), which were tracked 30 days after the electronic outreach. Secondary outcomes included physician perceptions of the electronic outreach intervention, using a 5-point scale to assess perceptions of workload, comfort with providing medication from survey information, and further interest in the program 6 months after the intervention. A total of 188 participants (99 women [52.4%] and 89 men [47.3%]) with mean (SD) age of 55.2 (13.9) years were randomized to 1 of 4 conditions. Group 1 (n = 46) received a message from the PCP without a link to the survey; group 2 (n = 48) received a message from the PCP with a link to asynchronous care in the form of the survey. Group 3 (n = 47) received a message from the health system without a link to the survey; group 4 (n = 47) received a message from the health system with a link to the survey. No statistically significant difference in documented quite attempts was found among the 4 study groups. There was also no statistically significant difference in quit attempts between the group that received the asynchronous care survey link and the group that did not (odds ratio, 2.50 [95% CI, 0.72-8.72]). However, the quit attempt rate for those with asynchronous care offered (9 of 95 [9.5%]) was more than double the quit attempt rate for those with in-person care offered (4 of 93 [4.3%]). This quality improvement randomized clinical trial did not find a statistically significant difference in physician-assisted quit attempts among patients who received electronic with asynchronous care vs those who received outreach alone, regardless of whether the message source was a PCP or a health system. However, the program engaged patients in difficult-to-reach rural areas as well as younger patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05172219.

Survey on factors influencing surgeons' sensation in Polish operating theatres

Operating theatres are very demanding environments that should provide a safe and comfortable indoor environment for the patient and medical staff and, above all, minimize the risk of cross-infection among patients. Patient safety and health are a priority, and these factors are impacted by surgeons. The present study aimed to analyse surgeons’ perceptions of the indoor environment in Polish operating rooms, including the acceptability of the conditions and their perceptions of workload capacity.The results of our study demonstrate that 86.1% of physicians found the thermal environment uncomfortable, 62.7% found the noise in the operating room uncomfortable, and 62.7% found the lighting in operating rooms uncomfortable. During the procedure, for 69.7% of respondents, the smell in the operating room was perceptible, but for 70.3%, it was acceptable. The greatest discomfort associated with clothing is its impermeability, which leads to discomfort in an overly warm environment. The study showed that the environment of operating rooms is very important due to the confirmed difficulties in Polish operating rooms and that the scope of research should be broadened to improve the environmental conditions, which will reduce the difficulty of work for medical staff.

Changes in brain activity of trainees during laparoscopic surgical virtual training assessed with electroencephalography

ObjectiveEvaluate changes in brain activity of trainees during laparoscopic surgical training from electroencephalographic (EEG) signals in an ecological scenario with few restrictions for the user. DesignLongitudinal study with two follow-up measurements in the first and last session of a 4-week training with LapSim laparoscopic surgery simulator. Variables analyzed include EEG neuronal activations in theta and alpha bands, tasks performance measures, and subjective measures such as perception of mental workload. SettingMedical School, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia. ParticipantsFirst-year surgical residents (n = 16, age = 28.0 ± 2.6 years old, right-handed, 9 females) ResultsSignificant improvements in tasks performance were found together with changes in neuronal activity over frontal and parietal cortex. These changes were also correlated with task performance through training sessions. ConclusionsThe use of neurophysiological measures such as electroencephalography combined with source separation techniques allows evaluating neural changes associated with motor training. The experiment proposed in this work establishes less controlled recording conditions leading to a more realistic analysis scenario to cognitive assessment in residents training.

How supervisor, co-worker, and spousal social support influences the experience of workload and work-family conflict: results from a survey of construction workers in Québec

This study investigates the effects of three different sources of social support (supervisor, co-workers, and spouse) on experienced workload and on work-family conflict (WFC) among a population of on-site construction workers in Québec, Canada. The findings of this study contribute to current knowledge by providing evidence of the means by which social support most influences WFC experienced by on-site construction workers (e.g. through workload modulation). More precisely, the study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that social support at work—despite its being limited by so-called masculine culture at the workplace—is instrumental to reduce the adverse effects of workload on WFC. In total, 811 workers in the Québec construction industry took part in this cross-sectional study. Results of mediation analysis show that all sources of social support reduce WFC by diminishing the perception of workload. However, even though workers report less social support from their supervisors than from their spouses, indirect effect analysis shows that supervisor social support is the source that most reduces the perception of workload and, in turn, WFC. Results of the ratio comparison indicate that supervisor and co-worker social support have more important direct impacts on WFC, whereas spousal social support has a more important indirect impact on WFC through a reduction in workload, suggesting that organizations need to foster social support at work (e.g. by promoting a culture of support) in order to ensure that work-family balance is valued at the workplace.