Keller Elizabeth, Widestrom Meghan, Gould Jory, Fang Runcheng, Davis Kermit G, Gillespie Gordon Lee
College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 21;19(6):3730. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063730.
Emergency department healthcare workers are known to face a unique combination of pressures from their careers and work environments regularly. Caring for dying patients and making difficult lifesaving decisions not only continued but also became more prevalent for emergency department healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A growing body of literature revealed that the mental and emotional toll of COVID-19 has been tremendous. However, the burden of COVID-19 on the overall physical health and work-life balance on this group needs to be understood. This study aimed to describe the impact of stress on wellbeing and health across the globe among emergency department healthcare workers. A cross-sectional survey comprising work-family and family-work conflict scale, work-life balance, physical symptoms inventory, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, satisfaction with job and life, and life change index scale was distributed to a convenience sample through listservs and social media. In total, 287 participants responded, 109 completing all questions. Fatigue was the most common symptom reported to occur daily (28.4%, = 31), followed by muscle pain (13.8%, = 15) and backache (11.9%, = 13). Nurse practitioners reported the highest number of physical symptoms and the highest average scores and counts of stressful life events, while registered nurses indicated the highest work-family conflict levels. Linear regressions showed that stressful life events are significantly associated with both physical symptoms and work-family conflict. Results underscore the need to better support emergency department workers to mitigate the risks associated with occupational stress. Protective organizational policies and increased support strategies may be employed to improve wellbeing and cultivate a more sustainable workforce.
众所周知，急诊科医护人员经常面临来自其职业和工作环境的独特压力组合。在新冠疫情期间，照顾临终患者并做出艰难的救生决策不仅持续存在，而且在急诊科医护人员中变得更加普遍。越来越多的文献表明，新冠疫情造成的精神和情感代价是巨大的。然而，需要了解新冠疫情对这一群体整体身体健康和工作与生活平衡的负担。本研究旨在描述压力对全球急诊科医护人员幸福感和健康的影响。通过邮件列表和社交媒体向一个便利样本发放了一项横断面调查，该调查包括工作-家庭和家庭-工作冲突量表、工作与生活平衡、身体症状清单、奥尔登堡倦怠量表、工作和生活满意度以及生活变化指数量表。共有287名参与者做出回应，其中109人完成了所有问题。疲劳是报告的最常见的每日出现的症状（28.4%，n = 31），其次是肌肉疼痛（13.8%，n = 15）和背痛（11.9%，n = 13）。执业护士报告的身体症状数量最多，压力性生活事件的平均得分和数量最高，而注册护士表示工作-家庭冲突水平最高。线性回归表明，压力性生活事件与身体症状和工作-家庭冲突均显著相关。结果强调需要更好地支持急诊科工作人员，以减轻与职业压力相关的风险。可以采用保护性组织政策和增加支持策略来改善幸福感并培养更具可持续性的劳动力队伍。
