Study on Causal Effects of Occupational Stress on Healthcare Workers at a selected Healthcare Facility in Oman

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational stress (OS) can be described as any physical or psychological change in an individual due to immediate or long-term reactions to workplace conditions that pose perceived threats or challenges to that employee. Typically, since work environments differ worldwide, scientists posit that the nature, sources, and causes of OS and the solutions proffered to address its impacts among healthcare workers (HCWs), differ markedly. The study aims to identify and examine the causal effects of OS on HCWs at the selected health facility in Oman. Methods: The study adopted a quantitative design that utilized questionnaires to examine the causes and effects of OS on selected health workers. Data was collected from December 2021 to January 2022 from 150 health facility employees to obtain their opinions on the causes and effects of OS on their health, work life, and productivity.  Results: Findings revealed that 47% of the respondents were male and 53% were female. Further, the results also revealed that HCWs at the selected health facility have experienced a high prevalence of OS due to various factors ranging from staff shortages, as revealed by 56.2% of the participants, to work duration and loads, as revealed by 69.0% of the participants, and staff working conditions.  Conclusion: As a panacea, recommend management of healthcare facilities engage more highly qualified staff and create highly conducive work environments and training. Likewise, the management can provide modern-day facilities and amenities. It is envisaged that such measures will also reduce workloads, which will help the HCWs to rest, resuscitate, re-energize, and nurture effective stress. Furthermore, the measures will help create a stress-free, healthy, and conducive environment for the HCWs and greatly improve quality healthcare delivery services.