Medical and allied professionals are at risk for job "burnout" from work-related stress. We investigated several measures of work-related stress as an outcome, and various correlates as risk factors, related to institutional policies, shift and other job characteristics, resources available, and interpersonal interactions. A cross-sectional study of personnel working in the operating suites (OR: surgeons, anesthesiologists, OR nurses and technicians, and other support staff), the emergency department (ED: physicians, nurses, clerks), and a community outpatient clinic (GP: physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and clerks) recorded individual perceptions of sources of stress, Likert scale measures of stress, and normative psychologic tests of mood and outlook. There were 285 participants from the three sites. Overall, perceived resource scarcity was associated with higher perceived stress (relative risk [RR]=3.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-5.7). Perceived lack of supervisor or institutional support was associated with decreased likelihood of considering oneself a satisfied employee (RR=4.6, 95% CI 3.0-7.3), as was perceived interpersonal stress in the workplace (RR=2.4, 95% CI 1.5-3.9). Differences in sources of stress by area of practice (OR, ED, GP), by profession (surgical vs. nonsurgical), and by personnel rank (faculty vs. non-faculty) will be presented. The results provide some targets for alleviating workplace stress from several different domains: system changes, personnel training and orientation, and policy changes.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Stress, Occupational Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.