Sickness Presenteeism and Job Performance among Nurses at Tanta University Emergency Hospital

Abstract

: Background : Sickness presenteeism is an emerging occupational health problem that affects nurses; however, it receives little attention despite its culmination, which leads to poor health and sickness absenteeism that consequently affect nurses’ job performance and productivity. Aim : This study aimed to assess sickness presenteeism and job performance among nurses at Tanta University Emergency Hospital. Subjects and Method: Design: A descriptive-correlational research design was used in the present study. Subjects: This study included 256 nurses at various departments at Tanta University Emergency Hospital. Tools : Two tools were used to collect data: the first, entitled Sickness Presenteeism Structured Questionnaire, and the second, named Nurses’ Performance Observation Checklist. Results: The majority (84.0%) of the studied nurses experienced sickness presenteeism and two-thirds (65.2%) of them had a moderate level of overall perception of Stanford presenteeism. Moreover, about two thirds (64.8%) of nurses had a satisfactory overall score for job performance. Conclusion: There was a significant negative statistical correlation between the overall score of nurses' job performance and their perception and predisposing factors of sickness presenteeism. Recommendations: It was recommended that hospital management develop policies and practices with clearer guidelines to avoid vagueness regarding what nursing professionals should do while sick, arrange workplace ergonomic elements that reduce the sickness presenteeism propensity, provide flexible scheduling that allows balance between work and family, monitor nurses’ job performance regularly, and provide frequent feedback.