Occupational stress among the nurses working in a Medical College Hospital in Nepal

Nursing is a stressful profession that can damage one's physical and mental health and affect professional outcomes. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that occupational (work-related) stress decreases the quality of nursing care and increases the chances of making errors while working.

To assess the occupational stress among the nurses working in a Medical College Hospital in Nepal.

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among the 311 nurses working in a Medical College Hospital in Nepal. Data were collected using a self-designed questionnaire which also incorporated the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS). Chi-square test and independent sample t-test were used for statistical analysis.

The mean (SD) age was 26.2 (4.3) years, more than half (52.4%) were below 25 years and almost three-fifths (58.2%) were single. Occupational stress was found among two-fifths (41.2%) of the nurses. The mean (SD) ENSS score was highest in the area of problems related to supervisors [2.3 (0.5)], workload [2.3 (0.4)], and uncertainty concerning treatment [2.3 (0.5)], and least in the area of discrimination [1.4 (0.6)].

Above two-fifths of Nepalese nurses experienced occupational stress. Nurses often felt stressed by unnecessary demands of patients and their families, and their stress was also related to their problems with the supervisors, uncertainty concerning treatment, and excess workload. There was a significant level of stress among the nurses working in highly demanding stations like intensive care units. Institutional interventions may be necessary to reduce occupational stress among nurses.