Background: Surveys conducted among healthcare workers revealed that nursing staff often face various stressors associated with occupational activities, which reduce their work efficiency. The aim of the study was to establish the level of stress in nurses working at hospitals in Slovenia and to identify stress-related factors.
Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological design and a standardized instrument called the "Nursing stress scale" were used. The sample included 983 nurses from 21 Slovenian hospitals. The research was conducted in 2016.
Results: Prevalence of high level of stress was 56.5% of respondents (M (median)=75). Prevalence of high level of stress and stress factors may be statistically significant attributable to dissatisfaction at work (p<0.001), disturbing factors at work (p<0.001), inability to take time off in lieu after working on weekend (p=0.003), shorter serving (p=0.009), fixed-term work (p=0.007), and an increased number of workdays on Sunday (p=0.030).
Conclusion: The stress rate and stress factors are substantially influenced by variables reflecting work organization, competences and skills of healthcare management to work with people. Results reflect the need for nursing management and policy makers to design strategies to ensure adequate staffing, efficient organization and an encouraging work environment.
Uvod: Raziskave, opravljene med zdravstvenimi delavci, so pokazale, da se zaposleni v zdravstvu pogosto srečujejo z različnimi stresorji, povezanimi s poklicnimi dejavnostmi, kar zmanjšuje učinkovitost dela. Cilj raziskave je bil ugotoviti stopnjo stresa medicinskih sester v bolnišnicah v Sloveniji in opredeliti dejavnike, povezane s stresom.
Metode: Metoda raziskovanja je bila presečna epidemiološka raziskava in modificiran standardiziran instrument »lestvica stresa med medicinskimi sestrami«. V vzorec je bilo vključenih 983 medicinskih sester iz 21 slovenskih bolnišnic. Raziskava je bila izvedena leta 2016.
Rezultati: Prisotnost stresa je opredelilo 56,5 % anketirancev (M (mediana) = 75). Prisotnost stresa in dejavniki stresa so lahko statistično pomembne posledice nezadovoljstva pri delu (p < 0,001), motečih dejavnikov na delovnem mestu (p < 0,001), nezmožnosti koriščenja prostih dni po delovnem vikendu (p = 0,003), krajšega delovnega časa (p = 0,009), dela za določen čas (p = 0,007) in števila delovnih nedelj v enem mesecu (p = 0,030).
Zaključek: Na stopnjo stresa in dejavnike stresa znatno vplivajo spremenljivke, ki odražajo organizacijo dela, kompetence in veščine vodenja v zdravstvu za delo z ljudmi. Rezultati odražajo potrebo, da menedžment zdravstvene nege in oblikovalci politike oblikujejo strategije za zagotavljanje kompetentnih zaposlenih, učinkovitosti organizacije in ustreznega delovnega okolja.
Keywords: cross-sectional study; stressors; validity; workload.