Assessment of selected psychosocial risk factors: stress, job burnout, and bullying in the case of medical staff as part of workplace ergonomics during the COVID-19 pandemic—A prospective pilot study

BackgroundThe purpose of the pilot study conducted by the authors was to assess occupational risk in selected areas of psychosocial risk factors among health professions in a pilot study. Medical staff working in the healthcare sector experience stress, job burnout and bullying on a daily basis. Monitoring occupational risks in the above areas provides an opportunity to take appropriate preventive measures.MethodsThe prospective online survey included 143 health care workers from various professional groups. Eighteen participants did not complete the survey, and the results of 125 participants were eventually included in the analysis. The study used health and safety questionnaires in the healthcare sector, which are not widely used as screening tools in Poland.ResultsThe following statistical methods were performed in the study: the Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Dunn's test. In addition, multivariate analysis was performed. The results obtained in the study indicate that the questionnaires used in the study can be widely used by employers or occupational medicine as screening tools.ConclusionsOur findings show that level of education attainment in healthcare is correlated with higher chance of experiencing stress and burnout. Among the surveyed professions, nurses reported a higher amount of stress and burnout. Paramedics reported the highest chance of being bullied at work. This can be explained by their nature of work which requires directly interacting with patients and their families. In addition, it should be noted that the tools used can be successfully applied in workplaces as elements of workplace ergonomics assessment in the context of cognitive ergonomics

Ergonomics in the work of nurses as the highest form of minimizing the risk of adverse events in the hospital

W podmiotach leczniczych udzielających świadczeń zdrowotnych w trybie stacjonarnym zamkniętym realizowanych jest wiele procesów diagnostyczno-terapeutycznych o bardzo złożonej specyfice. Personel pielęgniarski odgrywa znaczącą rolę w poszczególnych procesach, które powinny być realizowane z zachowaniem bezpieczeństwa pacjentów, ale również personelu świadczącego te usługi. Ergonomię w pracy pielęgniarek należy postrzegać jako optymalne źródło minimalizowania źródeł występowania zdarzeń niepożądanych. Należy jednak wziąć pod uwagę fakt, że ergonomia wymaga nie tylko podejścia systemowego, ale również interdyscyplinarnego i wieloaspektowego. Badania naukowe wskazują na niską podaż kadr pielęgniarskich związaną m.in. z tendencją ograniczania kosztów funkcjonowania podmiotów leczniczych. Dotyczy to nie tylko niskich wynagrodzeń, ale także nowych zasad organizacji pracy ukierunkowanych na wystandaryzowane postępowanie. Dotyczy ono przede wszystkim obciążenia licznymi zadaniami techniczno-administracyjnymi, kosztem sprawowania indywidualnej opieki nad pacjentem. Taka sytuacja może wpływać na wzrost występowania zdarzeń niepożądanych, które narażają personel pielęgniarski na odpowiedzialność prawną (zawodową, cywilną, karną). Należy również zwrócić uwagę na dane demograficzne, które wskazują, że w Polsce zwiększa się odsetek osób starszych, co sprawia, że będzie wzrastać zapotrzebowanie na opiekę pielęgniarską. Tymczasem wskaźnik zatrudnienia pielęgniarek w bezpośredniej opiece nad pacjentem w Polsce należy do najniższych w Europie. Niedobór kadr wymusza na pracujących wykonywanie większej liczby zadań w tym samym czasie, obciążając organizm zarówno w wymiarze psychologicznym, jak i fizycznym.In hospital care there are many diagnostic and therapeutic processes with a very complex specificity. The nursing staff plays a significant role in individual processes, which should be carried out with the safety of patients as well as for the personnel providing these services. Ergonomics in the work of nurses should be perceived as the optimal source of minimizing the sources of adverse events. However, it should be taken into account that ergonomics requires not only a systemic approach, but also an interdisciplinary and multifaceted approach. Scientific research indicates a low supply of nursing staff related, among others with a tendency to reduce the costs of functioning of health care units [1]. This applies not only to low wages, but also to new work organization rules aimed at standardized conduct. It mainly concerns the burden of numerous technical and administrative tasks, at the expense of individual care for the patient. This situation may affect the increase in the occurrence of adverse events that expose nursing staff to legal (professional, civil and criminal) liability. Demographic data indicate that in Poland the percentage of older people is increasing, which will increase the need for nursing care. Meanwhile, the employment rate of nurses in direct patient care in Poland is one of the lowest in Europe. The staff deficit forces the employees to perform more tasks at the same time, which places the body in both the psychological and physical dimensions [2]

Perception of Work-Related Stress and Quality of Life among Nurses during COVID-19 Pandemic–An International, Multicenter Prospective Study

The major focus of the study was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers’ mental health. Nurses are the workers who were exposed to pandemic–related stress, being the most affected. The present cross-sectional study was focused on finding out the differences of the level of work-related stress and quality of life in nurses of the three Central European states, specifically the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, and Poland. A structured anonymous online questionnaire was created, and then the link was distributed to the target population through executives. Data analysis was performed by using the R programme–version 4.1.3. The study found that nurses from the Czech Republic achieved lower stress levels and had a higher quality of life than nurses from Poland and Slovakia