Identification and analysis of stress factors at nursing workplace: A comparative study of four clinical departments

Is the burnout syndrome associated with elder mistreatment in nursing homes: results of a cross-sectional study among nurses

As this issue has not yet been addressed in Croatia, our aim was to explore the presence of the burnout syndrome in nurses and see how it is related to their perception of elder mistreatment in nursing homes and extended care units. The burnout syndrome was assessed in 171 nursing professionals with a standardised Maslach Burnout Inventory for Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) for three dimensions: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA). High EE was reported by 43.9 %, high DP by 22.2 %, and low PA by 39.8 % of the respondents. Their perception of elder abuse and neglect was investigated with two self-completion questionnaires. The answers suggest that elder mistreatment in Croatian nursing homes and extended care units is more common than expected: 55 % witnessed shouting at a resident in anger, 43 % insulting and swearing at a resident, 42 % force-feeding the resident, 39 % ignoring a resident when they called, and 38 % neglecting to turn or move a resident to prevent pressure sores. We also established associations between a number of questionnaire items on perceived abuse and neglect and the burnout syndrome dimensions and determined the items that predicted the type and level of burnout in our respondents. One way to avoid the pitfalls that lead to abuse and neglect is education in schools and at work. We believe our research could contribute to this end.

Professional stress and health among critical care nurses in Serbia

The aim of this study was to identify and analyse professional stressors, evaluate the level of stress in nurses in Intensive Care Units (ICU), and assess the correlation between the perception of stress and psychological and somatic symptoms or diseases shown by nurses. The research, designed as a cross-sectional study, was carried out in the Intensive Care Units (ICU), in health centres in Serbia. The sample population encompassed 1000 nurses. Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) was used as the research instrument. ENSS revealed a valid metric characteristic within our sample population. Nurses from ICUs rated situations involving physical and psychological working environments as the most stressful ones, whereas situations related to social working environment were described as less stressful; however, the differences in the perception of stressfulness of these environments were minor. Socio-demographic determinants of the participants (age, marital status and education level) significantly affected the perception of stress at work. Significant differences in the perception of stressfulness of particular stress factors were observed among nurses with respect to psychological and somatic symptoms (such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, despair, lower back pain, mood swings etc.) and certain diseases (such as hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes mellitus etc). In view of permanent escalation of professional stressors, creating a supportive working environment is essential for positive health outcomes, prevention of job-related diseases and better protection of already ill nurses.

[Conflict styles observed in doctors and nurses in health care organization]

INTRODUCTION

Health care workers often come into conflict situations while performing their daily activities. People behave differently when they come into conflicts and they are usually not aware of their own reactions. The aim of this paper was to establish the presence of conflict styles among health workers and the differences in relation to demographic characteristics (education, working experience, managerial position).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The research was done as a cross-sectional study and through surveys. The conflict handling questionnaire was used as the research instrument. The questionnaire contained 30 statements arranged in five dimensions of conflict styles. The sample included one hundred nurses and fifty-five doctors.

RESULTS

The research showed that accommodating was the most often used conflict style. There was no significant difference in styles of managerial and non-managerial staff, but there was a significant difference in the styles adopted by doctors and nurses. It should be noted that nurses used avoiding and accommodating conflict styles much more often.

CONCLUSION

It is important to increase the awareness of conflict existence and the possibility of solving the problem constructively in order to achieve more efficient duty performance.