Abstract
Prevalence of shift work and occupational stress is one of the highest in nursing compared to other sectors. For years Bulgaria is facing nurses’ shortage, which contributes to their long working hours. The aim of the study was to follow the working time arrangements, stressors and health symptoms in hospital nurses in Sofia.
Methods: The study is cross-sectional and comprised 1292 female nurses of average age 50.0 ± 10.2 years from 19 hospitals in Sofia. The anonymous questionnaire was filled, including demographic information, working hours and shift system, with special attention to night work and long working hours, stress and health symptoms. Statistical analysis was carried using SPSS.
Results: The shift work, night work, including 5 and more night shifts per month and the extended shifts were common among the studied nurses with the greatest deal of the emergency and intensive care unit nurses, followed by department nurses. The high rates of overtime and second job contributed to long working hours of 51-60 hours per week in 16.9 % of the nurses and > 61 hours in 11.1 %. About 90 % of the nurses felt under strain and experienced emotional dissonance while working with patients. Work-related stress, night work and long working hours were related to self-rated emotional and physical exhaustion and poor health.
Discussion: The work-related stress, night work and the long working hours raise health concerns for occupational health of hospital nurses. Urgent preventive measures are needed to control stress and reduce working hours and night work.