Are healthcare workers in high stress work environments more likely to suffer work-related injuries?
Introduction
An analysis of healthcare work environments reveals that workers who suffer from high stress in the workplace are more likely to sustain work-related injuries.
Background
In an effort to determine whether stress has an effect on workplace injuries, I gathered information from five studies in different countries. One study encompassed the entire Korean workforce (Lu, Nakata, Park, & Swanson, 2014), and another study provided information for workers in various healthcare positions in The Netherlands. (Bronkhorst, 2015) The other three studies focused on nurses in Australia, Brazil, and the U.S. Midwest.
Method
Each of the five …show more content…
Of the nursing staff surveyed in Brazil, 78.2% reported that work demands were the main cause of work stress. (Fischer & Martinez, 2013) According to Bronkhorst (2015), job demands can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, which will cause employees to seek easier ways to accomplish their work in lieu of using safety practices. A study of Australian nurses revealed that work stress leads to an increase in workplace injuries. (Vecchio, Scuffham, Hilton, & Whiteford, 2011) Fischer and Martinez (2013) found that the following work demands were causing the nursing staff to be stressed at work: lifting and transferring patients without proper body mechanics or equipment and not having proper work furniture. Overexertion is another factor that can contribute to workplace stress and injury, as well as client variability, in which clients, or patients, have different conditions, schedules, and needs, causing nurses to experience “high levels of task uncertainty, role ambiguity, and role conflict.” (Chowdhury & Endres, 2010) Lu, Nakata, Park, and Swanson cited workplace violence as a workplace stressor as well, which could lead to injury or absence. Nurse aids in Korea that were exposed to workplace violence were more likely to get poor sleep. (Lu, Nakata, Park, & Swanson, …show more content…
Each of the studies cited different solutions to the work stress problem, including safety climate, job resources, and social support. Bronkhorst (2015) and Chowdhury and Endres (2010) agree that a positive safety climate can reduce work stress. Bronkhorst stated that a positive safety climate, which includes safety behavior, knowledge, and motivation, can increase safety behavior in employees that may be experiencing work stress. (Bronkhorst, 2015) Chowdhury and Endres (2010) found that decreasing client variability can reduce work stress and injury. Various ways to accomplish decreasing client variability include assigning nurses to patients that have similar conditions and needs, and ensuring that the unit is adequately staffed so that the nurses are not spread thin. (Chowdhury & Endres, 2010) Chowdhury and Endres (2010), Bronkhorst (2015) as well as Fischer and Martinez (2013) also found that support from management and coworkers is an effective method to reduce work stress. Fischer and Martinez found that financial reward, job security, and advancement opportunities can lessen the negative effects of work stress. (Fischer & Martinez, 2013) They also found that organizations should ensure that the work demands facing the nursing staff are not too stringent and that said demands are appropriate for the employees’ age. (Fischer & Martinez, 2013) Chowdhury
Introduction
An analysis of healthcare work environments reveals that workers who suffer from high stress in the workplace are more likely to sustain work-related injuries.
Background
In an effort to determine whether stress has an effect on workplace injuries, I gathered information from five studies in different countries. One study encompassed the entire Korean workforce (Lu, Nakata, Park, & Swanson, 2014), and another study provided information for workers in various healthcare positions in The Netherlands. (Bronkhorst, 2015) The other three studies focused on nurses in Australia, Brazil, and the U.S. Midwest.
Method
Each of the five …show more content…
Of the nursing staff surveyed in Brazil, 78.2% reported that work demands were the main cause of work stress. (Fischer & Martinez, 2013) According to Bronkhorst (2015), job demands can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, which will cause employees to seek easier ways to accomplish their work in lieu of using safety practices. A study of Australian nurses revealed that work stress leads to an increase in workplace injuries. (Vecchio, Scuffham, Hilton, & Whiteford, 2011) Fischer and Martinez (2013) found that the following work demands were causing the nursing staff to be stressed at work: lifting and transferring patients without proper body mechanics or equipment and not having proper work furniture. Overexertion is another factor that can contribute to workplace stress and injury, as well as client variability, in which clients, or patients, have different conditions, schedules, and needs, causing nurses to experience “high levels of task uncertainty, role ambiguity, and role conflict.” (Chowdhury & Endres, 2010) Lu, Nakata, Park, and Swanson cited workplace violence as a workplace stressor as well, which could lead to injury or absence. Nurse aids in Korea that were exposed to workplace violence were more likely to get poor sleep. (Lu, Nakata, Park, & Swanson, …show more content…
Each of the studies cited different solutions to the work stress problem, including safety climate, job resources, and social support. Bronkhorst (2015) and Chowdhury and Endres (2010) agree that a positive safety climate can reduce work stress. Bronkhorst stated that a positive safety climate, which includes safety behavior, knowledge, and motivation, can increase safety behavior in employees that may be experiencing work stress. (Bronkhorst, 2015) Chowdhury and Endres (2010) found that decreasing client variability can reduce work stress and injury. Various ways to accomplish decreasing client variability include assigning nurses to patients that have similar conditions and needs, and ensuring that the unit is adequately staffed so that the nurses are not spread thin. (Chowdhury & Endres, 2010) Chowdhury and Endres (2010), Bronkhorst (2015) as well as Fischer and Martinez (2013) also found that support from management and coworkers is an effective method to reduce work stress. Fischer and Martinez found that financial reward, job security, and advancement opportunities can lessen the negative effects of work stress. (Fischer & Martinez, 2013) They also found that organizations should ensure that the work demands facing the nursing staff are not too stringent and that said demands are appropriate for the employees’ age. (Fischer & Martinez, 2013) Chowdhury