OBJECTIVETo investigate the occupational stressors and modifiers of pediatricians and nurses in order to find the measurements for control of the job stress.

METHODS427 pediatricians and nurses working in five hospitals of a city served as subjects. Of them, the staff in section of pharmacy and toll offices in each hospital mentioned above served as control group. The General Job Stress Questionnaire was used to investigate the job stress by self-assessment.

RESULTSThe scores of job demand, job risk, drug using, daily job stress, positive feelings, patient A behavior, physical environment and feeling balance in pediatricians and nurses were higher than those of control group, but the scores of job-person conflict, environmental control, technology utility, mental health, responsibility on things were lower than those of control group (P<0.05). The points of job future, job locus of control, self-esteem, job satisfaction, job load variance, depression in nurses were higher than those of pediatricians, and non-work activities, job risk and daily life stress were lower than those of doctors (P<0.05). The main affecting factors on job strain of pediatric staff included job monotony, higher job demand, more non-work job, lower job control, more job risk, job future ambiguous, poorer social support, lower job locus control and lower self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONThe stress degree of pediatric staff is higher than that of controls. The pediatricians have more job stress than that of nurses. The main stressors of pediatric staff are job monotony, higher job demand, more non-worker activity, lower job control, higher job risk and ambiguous job future. The main modifiers are good social support, external job locus of control and higher self-esteem.

Adult ; Burnout, Professional ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital ; psychology ; Nursing Staff, Hospital ; psychology ; Pediatrics ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine anger-expression patterns and their association with state and trait anger and physical and psychological health status in health care workers. METHOD: Four hundred and forty eight nurses, physicians and technicians from a large medical center completed standardized questionnaires of anger, anger-expression patterns and mood. They also had blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and body mass index measured during their annual physical examinations. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, chi-square and ANOVA. RESULTS: Subjects showed two major clusters of anger-expression patterns: anger-control and anger-in/out. Subjects with the anger-in/out pattern reported higher state and trait anger and more anxiety, depression and fatigue than subjects with the anger-control pattern. Physical health indicators, however, were not significantly different between the two clusters of anger-expression patterns. CONCLUSION: Anger-expression patterns are associated with psychological health status but not with physical health status. Anger-expression patterns, however, need to be examined over time to assess their long-term effects on the physical and psychological health status in future studies.
Adult ; *Anger ; Expressed Emotion ; Female ; *Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Middle Aged ; Models, Nursing ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the sustainable effects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) reeducation on nurses' knowledge and skills. METHODS: A repeated experimental design was used for a single sample group of 47 nurses working for a general hospital. The nurses were tested on their skill of CPR 3 times at an interval of 4 months. In order to test nurses' knowledge and skills, the researcher used a CPR assessment program linked to an adult practice doll (Anne). RESULTS: 1) The amount of decrease of nurses' knowledge about CPR between points of time was wide between the first and second points of time but small between the second and third time owing to the effects of reeducation between the two points of time. 2) Nurses' skills between the first and second time dropped but they improved between the second and third time owing to the effects of reeducation. CONCLUSION: As confirmed by the above findings, reeducation of CPR clearly affects nurses' knowledge and skills. Given the fact that the same period of time (4 months) elapsed between the 3 tests, it could be argued that the reeducation at the second test served to maintain nurses' knowledge and enhance their skills.
Adult ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/*education/nursing ; *Clinical Competence ; Cognition ; Education, Professional, Retraining ; Emergency Medical Services ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*education/psychology ; Retention (Psychology)

OBJECTIVETo explore the association between the effort-reward imbalance at work and depressive symptoms among healthcare workers.

METHODSThe effort-reward imbalance at work was conceptualized in terms of the Chinese version of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Chinese version of the Center of Epidemiology Survey Depression (CES-D) scale. The data came from the cross-sectional survey of 1 179 healthcare workers aged between 18 and 73 employed in 6 affiliated hospitals of Zhejiang University. The questionnaire comprised questions on the effort-reward at work, over-commitment, the full CES-D scale of depression and a range of other characteristics. Univariate analyses were used with Spearman's correlation, Mann-Whitney test, Pearson chi(2) test and likelihood chi(2) test. Multivariate logistic regression analyses was used to discover factors associated with depressive symptoms.

RESULTSThe prevalence of depressive symptoms among healthcare workers was 48.12% (95% CI: 45.08% to 51.16%). The prevalence of depressive symptoms among nurses was 52.40% (95% CI: 47.87% to 56.93%) higher than doctors' 44.70% (95% CI: 10.64% to 48.77%) with the significant difference (chi(2) = 6.077, P = 0.014). Positive associations were found between the high effort-low reward, level of work-related over commitment and depressive symptoms (OR = 1.859, 95% CI: 1.337 to 2.585; OR = 2.207, 95% CI: 1.656 to 2.942) among healthcare workers, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe high effort-low reward and the work-related over-commitment have a negative impact on healthcare workers' health.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Depression ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital ; psychology ; Middle Aged ; Models, Psychological ; Occupational Health ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the work related fatigue among prison police and mental medical staffs; to compare the social support between two groups; to develop specific intervention strategies in the future. METHODS: The Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory (CMBI) and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were applied to 100 prison police and 100 mental medical staffs respectively. Their status of work related fatigue and relevant social support were analyzed accordingly. RESULTS: 1) The level of fatigue among prison police was higher than mental medical staffs (P < 0.05); 2) The factor scores of "emotional burnout" and "depersonalization" among prison police were higher than that among mental medical staffs (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups on the "decreased sense of achievement" (P > 0.05); 3) The level of social support in the prison police was higher than that in the mental medical staffs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Both prison police and mental medical staffs were vulnerable to suffering from fatigue. However, the details and relevant social support between these two groups were different. Active intervention should be taken for different occupation.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Adult ; Burnout, Professional/psychology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depersonalization/psychology* ; Fatigue ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital/psychology* ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases/psychology* ; Personality Inventory ; Police ; Prisons ; Psychiatric Department, Hospital ; Social Support ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workforce

PURPOSE: This study was done to describe nurses' experience of incivility in hospitals and to consider nurses' work environment. METHODS: Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi' phenomenological analysis methodology. Participants were seven experienced clinical nurses working on a general ward (2 nurses), or in an intensive care unit (2 nurses), emergency room (2 nurses), or operating room (1 nurse). RESULTS: The incivility that nurses experienced was categorized as follows: 'being afflicted as a weak person', 'being treated as less than a professional', 'being overwhelmed by shock and anger', 'experiencing an untenable situation', 'struggling to survive', and 'pursuing professional growth'. CONCLUSION: Behavior guidelines should be developed to reduce incivility, and incivility cases should be continuously monitored by the nursing department. Also, to handle incivility problems in clinical nursing areas, a reporting and counseling system and education programs are needed.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Adult ; Anger ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Emergency Medical Services ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Interprofessional Relations ; Interviews as Topic ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Workplace

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of strategies to promote reporting of errors on nurses' attitude to reporting errors, organizational culture related to patient safety, intention to report and reporting rate in hospital nurses. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design was used for this study. The program was developed and then administered to the experimental group for 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, chi-square-test, t-test, and ANCOVA with the SPSS 12.0 program. RESULTS: After the intervention, the experimental group showed significantly higher scores for nurses' attitude to reporting errors (experimental: 20.73 vs control: 20.52, F=5.483, p=.021) and reporting rate (experimental: 3.40 vs control: 1.33, F=1998.083, p<.001). There was no significant difference in some categories for organizational culture and intention to report. CONCLUSION: The study findings indicate that strategies that promote reporting of errors play an important role in producing positive attitudes to reporting errors and improving behavior of reporting. Further advanced strategies for reporting errors that can lead to improved patient safety should be developed and applied in a broad range of hospitals.
Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Humans ; Internet ; Medical Errors/*nursing/prevention & control ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration/*psychology ; Organizational Culture ; Patient Care ; Program Evaluation ; Questionnaires ; Risk Management ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was done to assess the educational needs that should be considered in developing curriculum for staff in charge of public health services in public hospitals. METHODS: The participants in this study were staff in charge of public health services in 130 public hospitals. The Borich's Needs Assessment Model which analyzed the relation of 'required competence level' and 'present competence level', was utilized. Data were collected from October to November 2007 using a structure self-report questionnaire. The return rate was 66.9%. The Cronbach's alpha score was 0.959. RESULTS: The mean scores for 'required competence level', 'present competence level' and Borich's need were 4.02, 3.44, and 2.30 respectively. According to public health service items, 'strategies to recognize the present condition and analyze problems' had the highest score for Borich's need, but 'establishment of annual or monthly objectives' had the lowest score for Borich's need. CONCLUSION: Education was found to be very important for staff carrying out public health services. Ultimately the results of this study may be utilized to develop education program for staff carrying out public health services in public hospitals.
Adult ; Community Health Services ; Education, Continuing ; Female ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Middle Aged ; Professional Competence ; Questionnaires ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To determine and compare the perception among nurses and doctors of the roles and tasks of critical care advanced practice nurses (APNs) in order to establish standardized and formally agreed role criteria for such critical care APNs. METHOD: This study measured and analyzed the necessity of each of the roles and tasks of critical care APNs, as perceived by nurses and doctors, through a survey of 121 participants: 71 nurses in 7 intensive care units (ICUs) at a general hospital in Seoul, and 50 doctors who used ICUs. Data collection utilized a questionnaire of 128 questions in the following fields: direct practice (79), leadership and change agent (17), consultation and collaboration (15), education and counseling (11), and research (6). RESULTS: Both the nurses' and the doctors' groups confirmed the necessity of critical care APNs, with doctors who frequently used ICUs indicating a particularly strong need. As for the priority of each role of critical care APNs, the nurses considered direct practice to be the most critical, followed by education and counseling, research, consultation and collaboration, and leadership and change agent. The doctors also considered direct practice to be the most critical, followed by education and counseling, consultation and collaboration, research, and leadership and change agent. There was a statistically significant difference between how the two groups regarded all the roles, except for the consultation and collaboration roles. As for the necessity of each role of critical care APNs, the nurses considered research to be the most necessary, followed by education and counseling, consultation and collaboration, leadership and change agent, and direct practice. The doctors, on the other hand, considered education and counseling to be the most necessary, followed by research, consultation and collaboration, leadership and change agent, and direct practice. The responses of the two groups to all the roles, except for education and counseling roles, were significantly different. CONCLUSION: Nurses and doctors have different perceptions of the roles and tasks of critical care APNs. Thus, it is necessary for the combined nursing and medical fields to reach an official agreement on a set of criteria to standardize for the roles and tasks of critical care APNs.
Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Cooperative Behavior ; Counseling ; *Critical Care/organization & administration ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education, Nursing, Graduate ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Leadership ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Middle Aged ; Nurse Clinicians/education/*organization & administration ; Nurse Practitioners/education/*organization & administration ; *Nurse's Role ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Professional Autonomy ; Questionnaires

INTRODUCTIONIt is reported that junior doctors experience a large amount of work related stress and fatigue which has detrimental effects on their well-being and patient safety. We seek to determine the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) of junior doctors using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) and compare their HR-QoL with that of populations of norms and senior doctors.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThe SF-36v2 (Singapore version) was self-administered to a convenience sample of 213 doctors from a large tertiary teaching hospital. Junior doctors were defined as those less than 30 years of age (48%). Adjusted normative values were derived from the SF-36 Norms for the Singapore General Population Calculator for all 8 scales. The mean score differences between junior doctors and their adjusted normative values as well as that for senior doctors were computed and contrasted.

RESULTSOne hundred and eighty-fi ve doctors fully responded. Their mean age was 33.6 years (SD 8.1). Also, 45% were female and 88% were Chinese. Junior doctors had lower scores than senior doctors in all scales except Physical Functioning. After adjustment for gender and race, junior doctors had statistically significant lower Mental Health scores than senior doctors (P = 0.01). Compared with the normative population, junior doctors scored lower in all domains except for Physical Functioning. For Vitality, the difference is - 14.9.

CONCLUSIONJunior doctors have poorer mental health scores compared to senior doctors. Also, the lower vitality scores suggest that junior doctors are more likely to be fatigued than their normative population. More studies and efforts will be needed to identify factors that affect the quality of life in junior doctors and to evaluate the most appropriate measures to improve the efficiency of their work.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Fatigue ; Female ; Health Status ; Health Surveys ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital ; psychology ; Mental Health ; Occupational Health ; Quality of Life ; Singapore ; Stress, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires