633 Healthcare: Emergency Room Safety

Workplace Stress

Studies suggest work stress may increase a person's risk for cardiovascular disease, psychological disorders, workplace injury, and other health problems. Early warning signs may include headaches, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, job dissatisfaction, and low morale.

Potential Hazard

All hospital employees, especially emergency department employees, are exposed to many stressors at work that can cause workplace stress and burnout. These stressors are due to factors such as:

• shift work
• long hours
• fatigue
• intense emotional situations (e.g., the suffering and death of patients)

Possible Solutions

• Educate employees and management about job stress.
• Establish programs to address workplace stress, such as: Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) or Organizational Change Programs.
• An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can improve the ability of workers to cope with difficult work situations. Stress management programs teach workers about the nature and sources of stress, the effects of stress on health, and personal skills to reduce stress (e.g., time management or relaxation exercises).
• EAPs also provide individual counseling for employees for both work and personal problems.
• Organizational Change Programs change hospital policies and procedures to reduce organizational sources of stress. This is done by bringing in a consultant to recommend ways to improve working conditions. This approach is the most direct way to reduce stress at work. It involves the identification of stressful aspects of work (e.g., excessive workload, conflicting expectations) and the design of strategies to reduce or eliminate the identified stressors. Some strategies include:
• Ensure the workload is in line with workers' capabilities and resources.
• Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for workers to use their skills.
• Clearly define workers' roles and responsibilities.
• Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs.

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