At the Razor's Edge: Surgeons have Lower Stress Levels than the General Population

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the stress level in physicians of different levels of formation and to compare it between different medical specialties and the general population. Methods This was a cross-sectional study, using a questionnaire validated in Brazil in 2010, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Results The stress level was higher among surgical doctors in comparison with clinical doctors, regardless of the stage of formation. There was a difference between the sex of the professionals, men showing lower results. None of these was statistically significant. Comparing to the American population or South Brazilian teachers, the medical preceptors presented a significant lower level of stress. Conclusion The medical specialty as well as gender and level of medical formation influence in the professional stress level, being elevated in fields of higher working hours and constant pressure. Descriptors Stress, surgery, residents, medical students. How to cite this article Abreu-Reis P, Nasr A, Tomasich FS, Collaco IA, Bassani T, Clivatti GM, Fontanella AP, Ito JM, Manfrinato MFM, Hammerschmidt I. At the Razor's Edge: Surgeons have Lower Stress Levels than the General Population. Panam J Trauma Crit Care Emerg Surg 2016;5(1):26-30.

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Influence of nursing staff working hours on the stress level during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional online survey

10.1101/2020.08.12.20173385 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Manuela Hoedl ◽

Silvia Bauer ◽

Doris Eglseer

Keyword(s):

Perceived Stress ◽

Stress Level ◽

Online Survey ◽

Quality Care ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Working Hours ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional

Background: Working as a nurse means being responsive and highly accountable 24/7 and to be able to offer high-quality care, specifically during pandemics. Studies have shown that the average number of working hours per week is a significant predictor of stress and that the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the nurses stress levels. Objective: Therefore, we investigated (1) if a change had occurred in the nurses working hours during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to the hours employed and (2) the influence of the nursing staffs working hours during COVID-19 pandemic on the perceived level of stress. Design: We used an online survey in this Austrian cross-sectional study, distributed using a snowball sampling method. Participants and methods: In the online survey, we asked the nurses many relevant questions, including how many hours they are employed per week and how many hours they had worked on average per week since the outbreak of COVID-19. We used the Perceived Stress scale to measure stress level among these nurses. Data were collected between mid-May and mid-July 2020. Results: Three-quarters of the 2600 participating nurses reported changes in their working hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nursing staffs hours of employment were statistically significantly associated with their average number of working hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. About two-thirds of the nurses who were employed either less than 10 hours or for 31-40 hours worked for more than 40 hours. Most of the nurses experienced a moderate level of stress. We identified a statistically significant association between increasing the number of working hours per week and the nurses perceived stress level. In addition, 15% of the nurses who had worked more than 40 hours reported experiencing a high level of stress. In addition, we found that nurses who worked more hours during the pandemic experienced higher stress than nurses who reduced their working hours or kept the same working hours. Conclusions: We found a statistically significant association between an increase in the nursing staffs working hours and their level of stress. We believe that these results reflect the negative consequences of prolonged working hours. For this reason, a (inter-)national discussion is needed on the topic of restricting the working hours of healthcare workers during such pandemics. This discussion can improve the health and safety of the health care workers, the patients, as well as members of the general population.

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Medical Careers and Motherhood: A Cross-Sectional Study of Hispanic Female Physicians

Journal of Graduate Medical Education ◽

10.4300/jgme-d-19-00439 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4s) ◽

pp. 181-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sandra Lopez-Leon ◽

Cipatli Ayuzo Del Valle ◽

Alejandra Huante Salceda ◽

Luz Odette Villegas-Pichardo ◽

Emil Scosyrev

Keyword(s):

Medical Specialty ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Specialty Choice ◽

Female Physicians ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Staff Members ◽

Medical Careers ◽

Medical Institutions ◽

Female Surgeons

ABSTRACT Background One factor many women consider when choosing a medical specialty is the plan to have children and the compatibility of their chosen specialty with motherhood. Objective We surveyed Hispanic female physicians who are mothers to collect demographic information, specialty choice, childbearing, and professional and personal life characteristics, along with respondents' suggestions for female physicians who want to start a family, and how hospitals and medical institutions could enhance their support of female medical staff members with children. Methods The questionnaire was fielded on an online forum for Hispanic female physicians who are mothers. We summarized data by frequency and percentages, and means and standard deviations. Results Common medical specialties of respondents included pediatrics, family medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology, and 19% did not report a medical specialty. Most respondents were married (72%), had 1 or 2 children (89%), and worked at a public hospital 5 days a week (51%). Forty-four percent reported they slept 6 or more hours a night. Differences among specialties included dermatologists, radiologists, and gynecologists reporting working more than other specialties (6 to 7 days a week), psychiatrists reporting greater use of psychiatric medications, and anesthesiologists reporting lower rates of marriage. Female surgeons and emergency medicine physicians reported the highest consumption of alcohol. Conclusions The results offer initial insights into how medical specialty choice may affect female physicians' work-life balance and can be used to provide guidance to female learners who plan to have a family.

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Stress level and sleep quality of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Work ◽

10.3233/wor-210538 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Şebnem Bilgiç ◽

Ülfiye Çelikkalp ◽

Cem Mısırlı

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Stress Level ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

High Stress ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Family ◽

Stress Levels

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 infection is transmitted easily and quickly, and nurses constitute the riskiest group of healthcare workers. Therefore, they may experience high levels of stress and sleep problems. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the stress levels and sleep quality of nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted with 316 nurses working in a pandemic hospital in a city center. A descriptive form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were used to collect data. RESULTS: A positive, moderately significant correlation was found between the average PSQI score of nurses and the average perceived stress score (p≤0.001). Multiple regressions determined that shift work, stress level, a coworker having COVID-19, being out of home due to the risk of transmission, and having a person older than 65 in the home were effective predictors of sleep quality (R2 = 33.5, p≤0.001). Age, years worked, fear of infecting the family with COVID-19, receiving COVID-19 education, regular nutrition, and sleep quality were effective predictors of stress level (R2 = 32.2, p≤0.001). CONCLUSION: It was determined that nurses have low sleep quality and high stress levels during the pandemic process.

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Fc24-01 - Ego defense mechanisms in pakistani medical students: a cross sectional analysis

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)73649-5 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 1945-1945

Author(s):

M. Parekh ◽

H. Majeed ◽

T. Khan ◽

A. Khan ◽

S. Khalid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

General Population ◽

Defense Mechanisms ◽

Adaptive Functioning ◽

Female Gender ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Ego Defense Mechanisms ◽

Ego Defense ◽

Stress Levels

BackgroundEgo defense mechanisms, defined by Freud as unconscious resources used by the ego to reduce conflict between the id and superego, are a reflection of how an individual deals with conflict and stress. Vaillants’ proposed Hierarchy of Defenses states that mature defenses are associated with better adaptive functioning and health, as opposed to immature defense which are correlated negatively with measures of adaptive adult functioning.ObjectivesThis study assesses the prevalence of various ego defense mechanisms employed by medical students of Karachi, which is a group with higher stress levels than the general population.MethodsA questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted on 682 students from five major medical colleges of Karachi in November 2006. Ego defense mechanisms were assessed using the Defense Style Questionnaire(DSQ-40) individually and as grouped under Mature, Immature, and Neurotic factors.ResultsNeurotic defenses had a higher mean score(5.62) than Mature(5.60) and Immature(4.78) mechanisms. Immature mechanisms were more commonly employed by males whereas females employed more Neurotic mechanisms than males. Neurotic and Immature defenses were significantly more prevalent in first and second year students. Mature mechanisms were significantly higher in students enrolled in Government colleges than Private institutions (p< 0.05).ConclusionsNeurotic mechanisms are more commonly encountered than Mature or Immature mechanisms among medical students of Karachi, and this could reflect greater stress levels than the general population. Employment of these mechanisms was associated with female gender, enrollment in a private medical college, and students enrolled in the first 2 years of medical school.

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Epidemiology of tuberculosis among different occupational groups in Makkah region, Saudi Arabia

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-91879-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hasan M. Semilan ◽

Hassan A. Abugad ◽

Husain M. Mashat ◽

Moataza M. Abdel Wahab

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

General Population ◽

Incidence Rate ◽

Low Socioeconomic Status ◽

Close Contact ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Working Hours ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Occupational Groups ◽

Cross Sectional

AbstractEach year in Saudi Arabia, the Hajj season represents one of the world’s most significant annual mass gatherings, attracting high proportion of immigrants from different parts of the world in small crowded areas, posing a risk for Tuberculosis (TB) transmission. There is a high potential for TB contact and infection in the workplace as it is transmitted through the air. Most of the studies in Saudi Arabia assessed the TB infection among health care workers. However, the TB incidence rate among other variant occupational groups was not yet determined. This study was conducted to assess the incidence rate of tuberculosis, and determine the risk factors of TB infection among different occupational groups in the Makkah region, Saudi Arabia 2016. A cross-sectional study was carried out based on the secondary data of the patients registered in the Saudi national tuberculosis control and prevention program in 2016. Data were then organized and analyzed for age, gender, nationality, educational level, average monthly wage, average weekly working hours, and occupation of the patients. Occupations were reclassified according to the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupation (SSCO). A total of 1270 cases were included in this study, 300 (23.6%) of them were workers. The incidence rate of TB among workers in the Makkah region was 9 per 100,000 workers compared to 31 per 100,000 persons among the general population in 2016. The TB incidence rate was the highest among occupation of supporting basic engineering with 13 per 100,000 workers in 2016. The highest incidence rate of TB among occupations of supporting basic engineering could be attributed to close contact with the general population in closed spaces for long periods of time, and low socioeconomic status.

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Relationship Between Work Loads And Working Conditions With Nursing Stress Levels In Intensive Care Unit

Comprehensive Health Care ◽

10.37362/jch.v4i2.336 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 55-64

Author(s):

Edison Siringoringo ◽

Andi Susilawani ◽

Lhamsyah

Keyword(s):

Working Conditions ◽

Stress Level ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Working Hours ◽

Work Conditions ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

A Value ◽

Stress Levels ◽

Chi Square Test

Nurse workload is all activities carried out by nurses while on duty in a nursing service unit. Working conditions include physical environment variables such as the distribution of working hours, physical conditions in the form of noise, regulations, and demands. Job stress is a condition of tension that causes an imbalance of physical and psychological conditions in employees sourced from individuals and organizations that affect the physical, psychological, behavior of employees. This research method uses analytic research, with a cross-sectional design. The population in this study were nurses on duty in the ICU. The sample in this study amounted to 36 respondents with a sampling technique using the total sampling method. Data is collected by using a questionnaire sheet. Analysis of the data used by using the Chi-Square test. In this study, the results were obtained that the workload was in the bad category of 20 respondents (55.6%) and the working conditions included in the category did not support as many as 22 respondents (61.1%) and the stress level in the moderate category there were 23 respondents (63, 9%). Based on the analysis that has been done using the Chi-Square test, there is a significant relationship between workload with stress levels with a value of P = 0.000 <0.05 and work conditions with nurses' stress levels with a value of P = 0.011 <0.05. There is a relationship between workload and working conditions with the stress level of nurses in the ICU. It is hoped that this research can be used as additional knowledge for the educational institutions of Stikes Panrita Husada Bulukumba.

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Association between COVID-19 Pandemic Conditions and Perceived Stress Level among College Students in Saudi Arabia

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i47a33030 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 429-436

Author(s):

Shaimaa M. Ata ◽

Manal Eltahir ◽

Ahad Albadah ◽

Hind Harun ◽

Khames T. Alzahrani

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Stress Level ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Perceived Stress Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Stress Scale ◽

Stress Levels

Aims: To assess the levels of perceived stress among college students in Saudi Arabia after changing the learning protocols because of covid-19 pandemic. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Saudi Arabia, from May 2020 to October 2021. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey study that was carried out in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered, pre-designed questionnaire, including Perceived Stress Scale of 10 items was used to measure the stress levels. The participants were selected randomly from different social media users who lived and studied in Saudi Arabian universities. In this study, 10-item questions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used based on a 5-point Likert scale to score each item (0 = Never 1 = Almost Never 2 = Sometimes 3 = Fairly Often 4 = Very Often). Results: A total of 2034 students living in Saudi Arabia participated in the study. The results showed that 76.84% of total participants had strong stress, males reported higher score as compared to their Female counterparts. Also, students older than 28 years reported higher level of stress, the students in Qassim region showed highest scores of stress. In addition, excellent academic achievement was strongly associated with high level of stress. Conclusion: The findings suggest that significant number of students had higher stress levels using the perceived stress scale. Therefore, this cross-sectional study identified a high stress level in COVID-19 crisis among university students in Saudi Arabia.

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Correlation between classification in risk categories and clinical aspects and outcomes

Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem ◽

10.1590/1518-8345.1284.2842 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gabriella Novelli Oliveira ◽

Cássia Regina Vancini-Campanharo ◽

Maria Carolina Barbosa Teixeira Lopes ◽

Dulce Aparecida Barbosa ◽

Meiry Fernanda Pinto Okuno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Signs And Symptoms ◽

Medical Specialty ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Clinical Aspects ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Clinical Profiles ◽

Medical Forms ◽

Risk Categories

ABSTRACT Objective: to correlate classification in risk categories with the clinical profiles, outcomes and origins of patients. Method: analytical cross-sectional study conducted with 697 medical forms of adult patients. The variables included: age, sex, origin, signs and symptoms, exams, personal antecedents, classification in risk categories, medical specialties, and outcome. The Chi-square and likelihood ratio tests were used to associate classifications in risk categories with origin, signs and symptoms, exams, personal antecedents, medical specialty, and outcome. Results: most patients were women with an average age of 44.5 years. Pain and dyspnea were the symptoms most frequently reported while hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the most common comorbidities. Classifications in the green and yellow categories were the most frequent and hospital discharge the most common outcome. Patients classified in the red category presented the highest percentage of ambulance origin due to surgical reasons. Those classified in the orange and red categories also presented the highest percentage of hospitalization and death. Conclusion: correlation between clinical aspects and outcomes indicate there is a relationship between the complexity of components in the categories with greater severity, evidenced by the highest percentage of hospitalization and death.

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Influence of nursing staff working hours on stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic

HeilberufeScience ◽

10.1007/s16024-021-00354-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Manuela Hoedl ◽

Silvia Bauer ◽

Doris Eglseer

Keyword(s):

Perceived Stress ◽

Stress Level ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Quality Care ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Working Hours ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Stress Levels

Abstract Background Working as a nurse means being able to provide high-quality care 24/7. Studies have shown that the average number of working hours per week is a significant predictor of stress and that the severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the nurses’ stress levels. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the nursing staff’s working hours during the COVID-19 pandemic on the perceived level of stress. Method We carried out an online cross-sectional survey and measured the stress level with the perceived stress scale. Results Most of the nurses experienced a moderate level of stress. We identified a statistically significant association between increased numbers of working hours per week and the nurses’ perceived stress level. In addition, 15% of the nurses who had worked more than 40 h reported experiencing a high level of stress. Conclusion These results reflect the negative consequences of prolonged working hours. For this reason, a (inter)national discussion is needed on the topic of restricting the working hours of healthcare workers during such pandemics. This discussion can improve the health and safety of healthcare workers, patients and members of the general population.

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Multidisciplinary team decision is rare and decreasing in percutaneous vascular interventions despite positive impact on in-hospital outcomes

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000771 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 262-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Christian-Alexander Behrendt ◽

Tilo Kölbel ◽

Thea Schwaneberg ◽

Holger Diener ◽

Ralf Hohnhold ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multidisciplinary Team ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Invasive Treatment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hospital Outcomes ◽

Vascular Intervention ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Team Decision ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Background: Worldwide prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is increasing and peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) has become the primary invasive treatment. There is evidence that multidisciplinary team decision-making (MTD) has an impact on in-hospital outcomes. This study aims to depict practice patterns and time changes regarding MTD of different medical specialties. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study design. 20,748 invasive, percutaneous PVI of PAD conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (Germany) were consecutively collected between January 2004 and December 2014. Results: MTD prior to PVI was associated with lower odds of early unsuccessful termination of the procedures (Odds Ratio 0.662, p < 0.001). The proportion of MTD decreased over the study period (30.9 % until 2009 vs. 16.6 % from 2010, p < 0.001) while rates of critical limb-threatening ischemia (34.5 % vs. 42.1 %), patients´ age (70 vs. 72 years), PVI below-the-knee (BTK) (13.2 % vs. 22.4 %), and rates of severe TASC C/D lesions BTK (43.2 % vs. 54.2 %) increased (all p < 0.001). Utilization of MTD was different between medical specialties with lowest frequency in procedures performed by internists when compared to other medical specialties (7.1 % vs. 25.7 %, p < 0.001). Conclusions: MTD prior to PVI is associated with technical success of the procedure. Nonetheless, rates of MTD prior to PVI are decreasing during the study period. Future studies should address the impact of multidisciplinary vascular teams on long-term outcomes.

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