Health Professional Wellbeing

A study of Icelandic nurses by Gunnarsdottir Et al. concluded that improved relations between nurses and nurse manages will likely improve the nurses’ job satisfaction and increase employee retention, and may improve patient quality of care.

The survey of 695 nurses measured a number of factors including burnout, job satisfaction, and nurse rated quality of care, and found that increased perception of support from unit level nurse managers significantly improved job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion and quality of care in the nurses.

The study also provided additional evidence for the theory that low staffing capacity and heavy work demands are the key causes of burnout in nurses.

The study can be found at scientificcommons.org.

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A study by Pedrini Et al. of mental health professionals employed in non-hospital psychiatric residential facilities in Italy found that low feedback about job performance, poor support from coordinators, and young age were predictors for burnout in the mental health employees.

The survey of 202 mental health employees, including nurses and nursing assistants, also found that 17% of participants reported high levels of emotional exhaustion, 26% reported high levels of depersonalisation and 26% reported reduced personal accomplishment on the Maslach Burnout Inventory.
The study concluded that the sample were of a high risk of developing burnout, and suggested that an emphasis be placed on developing workplace relationships, enhancing job resources and increasing support for the professionals.
The article can be found at psychiatryonline.org.

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The most recent U.K Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data (2008) indicates that the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders from 1990 to 2007 had reduced significantly, as in fact the prevalence of all work related illnesses when taken as a single group. Yet, the prevalence of work related stress and related (mainly heart) conditions had increased significantly by a factor of approximately 2 In fact, work related stress, depression or anxiety in 2007 appears to be as prevalent as work related back pain and is significantly more prevalent than work-related lung or hearing problems.

The HSE report can be found here.

Dr Ramesh Manocha

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An American study by Robins Et al. of health care professionals in a children’s hospital found that 39% of staff were of a moderate to extreme risk of compassion fatigue, and 21% were of a moderate to high risk of burnout.

The study of 314 health care professionals additionally found that doctors reported higher levels of burn out than other professions and, more years spent working in child care was associated with higher burnout. The study also found an association between the time spent working in child care and compassion fatigue.

The study suggests decreased patient interaction may be the mechanism through which the physicians develop greater levels of burnout than other professions, and concluded that paediatric healthcare professionals are at greater risk of burnout, and similar risk of compassion fatigue, than trauma workers.

The study can be found at elsevier.com.

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Pirrotta (2000) conducted a survey of Australian GPs and  found that almost 80% of respondents had recommended meditation to patients at some time during the course of their practice, even though less than 35% had any formal training or education in the field. This reflects, on the one hand, the growing legitimacy of what was once regarded as a fringe concept and on the other, the paucity of quality education in the field. More recent surveys about the status of meditation in the perception of general practitioners have produced revealing results. For instance, a survey of GPs reported by Cohen et al. in 2005 found that:

• 82% regarded meditation as moderately or highly effective with low risk for harm, whereas only 3% regarded it as occasionally or frequently harmful,
• 23% were either self taught or had only attended an introductory workshop on meditation, while a mere 3% had formal training such as part of a certificate, diploma or degree,
• 51% said they would like to receive some form of training or had already done so over the previous 12 months for personal use,
• 40% affirmed that they had either used it over the previous 12 months or would consider using it in their practice
• 65% said they would actively encourage any patient who raised the topic to practice meditation,
• 9% had suggested the use of meditation at least once per week or more, while 56% had suggested it at least once per month.

While there is no hard data, it seems reasonable to assume that endorsement of meditation practice by a good proportion of physicians is likely to be seen as tacit approval by consumers.

Dr Ramesh Manocha

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A German survey of medical staff working in radiology by Sehlen Et al. (2009) found that the nurses reported the highest level of job stress followed closely by physicians. The survey of 82 physicians and 113 nurses found that the greatest stressor for physicians was reported to be excessive paperwork. Physicians and nurses both reported “structural conditions”, including underpayment and telephone ringing, also had a major impact on their job stress. Physicians also reported having the highest level of job satisfaction.

The authors comment that the results emphasise the importance of nurses and physicians developing a work/life balance and strategies for promoting personal wellness.

The study can be found at the Radiation Oncology journal.

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A study of ophthalmologists in Quebec by Viviers Et al. found that over 35% of the 133 ophthalmologists reported high levels of burnout. over 45% of the ophthalmologists reported having problems reconciling work and personal life.

The study, which was published in the Canadian journal of Ophthalmology, found that the three main occupational stressors were the rise in demand for services, the shortage of ophthalmologists and a high work load.

The study concedes a range of limitations including its cross-sectional nature. The study recommends ophthalmologists work to gain greater control over their participation in the workplace.

The full study can be found at pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

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An survey commissioned by Lifeline Australia found that over 90% of adults feel stressed in at least one facet of their lives, with almost half feeling very stressed. The survey, which was published earlier this year, found that 67% of respondents were stressed about finances, 65% about the future, 55% about health and 41% felt stressed about personal relationships.

Dawn O’Neil, head of Lifeline Australia, called the results “alarming”.

“I don’t believe that as a society we should just accept that our lives today are more stressful than in the past. We need to look at ways we can take responsibility for our stress levels before prolonged stress causes harm to our physical and mental health,” she said.

From www.lifeline.org.au.

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A study published in the MJA has found doctors who are involved in medico-legal matters are more likely to suffer from serious mental health problems including anxiety and depression.

The study of 2999 doctors also found that over 65% of doctors in Australia will be involved in medico-legal matters at some point of their career.

Dr Louise Nash, lead author of the study, emphasised that doctors need to look after themselves. “If they are feeling stressed, they should consider options for reducing their hours, and make sure they do not turn to any negative coping mechanisms, such as drinking,” she said.

Dr Nash noted that the study raised questions about the causality of the relationship between medico-legal processes and poor mental health.

From the Medical Observer.

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A Korean study by Cho et al. (2009) investigated the relationship between nurse staffing, the quality of care delivered by nurses, and nurse related job outcomes.

The survey of 1365 nurses working in intensive care units found half of the nurses were highly burned out, and a quarter were planning on leaving within a year. The survey also found perceived adequate staffing was significantly correlated with burnout in the nurses.

The study can be found at PubMed.

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