Excessive workload has always been one of the main challenges that nurses face while working. It is defined by the amount of work performed by an individual in a given period. According to Madadzadeh, Barati, Asour, “Excessive workload is a major source of stress; in 37% oAs ourjects hi,gh workload of a stressful job has an influence on job dissatisfaction, depression, psychosomatic symptoms…” (1). Stress has also been a part of every work and is usually natural, but if it is not eliminated on time, it can lead to impairment of physical and mental health (2). Federico, Won, in their podcast, examines the relationship between stress and workload. They refer to human factors and their role in work-related stress in health care (3). Federico, Won gives an example of human factors, among which is an underestimation of one’s ability. Federico talked about the pharmacist who volunteered to work extra time, not realizing how tired she was. Other examples of human factors are external stimuli such as noise, temperature, distractions, and working environment. People also have a natural reaction, a fight-or-flight response, when an organism releases hormones that contribute to depression and anxiety. These factors are of high relevance to my workplace because sometimes it is difficult for my colleagues and me to make a sober assessment of our abilities.
We want to work extra shifts either because we are asked to, or because we want to be helpful. It becomes even more complicated when the hospital is overloaded with patients. Sometimes there are not enough personnel, and managing the situation becomes extremely challenging. Nurses have to cope with stress, and it significantly impacts physical and mental health.
Excessive workload has always been one of the main challenges that nurses face while working. It is defined by the amount of work performed by an individual in a given period (1). According to Madadzadeh, Barati, As our, “Excessive workload is a major source of stress; in 37% of subjects, high workload of a stressful job has an influence on job dissatisfaction, depression, psychosomatic symptoms…” (1). Stress has also been a part of every work and is usually natural, so it is important to be familiar with stress management because if it is not eliminated on time, it can lead to impairment of physical and mental health (2). Some of the stress management techniques are organizing oneself and practicing mindfulness.
Federico and Won, in their podcast, examine the relationship between stress and workload. They refer to human factors and their role in work-related stress in health care (3). Federico and Won give an example of human factors, among which are the underestimation of one’s abilities. Federico talked about the pharmacist who volunteered to work extra time, not realizing how tired she was. Other examples of human factors are external stimuli such as noise, temperature, distractions, and working environment. People also have a natural reaction, a fight-or-flight response, when the body releases hormones that contribute to depression and anxiety.
These factors are of high relevance to my workplace because it is difficult for my colleagues and me to make a sober assessment of our abilities. We want to work extra shifts either because we are asked to, or because we want to be helpful. It becomes even more complicated when the hospital is overloaded with patients. Sometimes there is not enough personnel, and managing the situation becomes extremely challenging. Nurses have to cope with stress, and it significantly impacts physical and mental health.
Excessive workload has always been one of the main challenges that nurses face while working. It is defined by the amount of work performed by an individual in a given period. According to Madadzadeh, Barati, Asour, “Excessive workload is a major source of stress; in 37% of subjects high workload of a stressful job has an influence on job dissatisfaction, depression, psychosomatic symptoms…” (1). Stress has also been a part of every work and is usually natural, but if it is not eliminated on time, it can lead to impairment of physical and mental health (2). Federico, Won, in their podcast, examines the relationship between stress and workload. They refer to human factors and their role in work-related stress in health care (3). Federico, Won gives an example of human factors, among which are an underestimation of one’s ability. Federico talked about the pharmacist who volunteered to work extra time, not realizing how tired she was. Other examples of human factors are external stimuli such as noise, temperature, distractions, and working environment. People also have a natural reaction, a fight-or-flight response, when an organism releases hormones that contribute to depression and anxiety. These factors are of high relevance to my workplace because sometimes it is difficult for my colleagues and me to make a sober assessment of our abilities.
We want to work extra shifts either because we are asked to, or because we want to be helpful. It becomes even more complicated when the hospital is overloaded with patients. Sometimes there are not enough personnel, and managing the situation becomes extremely challenging. Nurses have to cope with stress, and it significantly impacts on physical and mental health.
References
Madadzadeh M, Barati H, Asour AA. The association between workload and job stress among nurses in Vasei hospital, Sabzevar city, Iran, in 2016. JOHE [Internet]. 2018.
Kokoroko E, Sanda MA. Effect of workload on job stress of ghanaian opd nurses: The role ofcoworker support. SH@W [Internet]. 2019.
Federico F, Won JC. Wihi: workload, stress, and patient safety: how human factors can help [Internet]. WIHI. 2020.