Psycho behavioral determinants affecting quality of life of staff nurses posted in critical vs non critical units

Abstract

Background: Nurses working in critical care units engage in several activities or several roles at the same time, all of which may be essential for the patient but within limited shift duration. Staff Nurses are exposed to a number of stressors, ranging from work overload, multiple reporting, time pressures, and lack of role clarity in dealing with serious patients and their relatives. Such stressors can lead to psychological and physical distress, absenteeism, high turnover, and health issues and gradually deteriorate their quality of life. Objective: To study the impact of different work setting on psycho-behavioral determinants and quality of life of staff nurses and the effectiveness of a change in posting from critical to non-critical units and vice versa to reduce psycho-behavioral determinants and improve quality of life of staff nurses. Design & setting: an experimental research design was used for the present. The study was conducted in Himalayan Hospital, which is a multi-specialty, tertiary care level, 750 bedded Hospital. Methods: The study was performed during 2013-1014 in in Himalayan Hospital, which is a multi-specialty, tertiary care level, 750 bedded Hospital. A total 100 staff nurses, 50 from each critical and non-critical units were selected with simple random technique. Staff nurses were shifted from critical to non-critical unit and vice a versa for the duration of 2 months. After completion of 2 months they were re-shifted to their original units. Data were collected with self-reported questionnaires included demographic proforma to collect personal and professional characteristic of staff nurses, MBI-HSS to assess burnout level, and WHOQOL-BREF to assess quality of life. A computerised stress profile test (CSPT) was conducted to record heart rate, GSR value and skin temperature of study participants posted. Burnout and quality of life of staff nurses were assessed at baseline, every 15th day during change in posting and after re-shifting at 15th and 30th day. A computerised stress profile test (CSPT) was xiv conducted at base line and at 60th day during change in the posting. Data was analyzed and interpreted by using descriptive as well as inferential statistics. Statistical analysis was done with the help of SPSS-22 for Windows. Results: At baseline scores of psycho-behavioral determinants were higher and lower quality of life among staff nurses working in critical unit then the non-critical units (p0.05). There was a reduction in scores of psycho-behavioral determinants and increase in quality of life scores of staff nurses after shifting to non-critical units from critical units (p0.05). After change in posting of staff nurses from non-critical to non-critical units, their scores of psychobehavioral determinants was significantly increased and reduced in the scores of quality of life (p0.05). Conclusion: It is an important area to identify the levels of emotional outcome as a burnout among staff nurses and quantify them with physiological parameters, which affect their quality of life. A change in work unit was a significant strategy to reduce levels of burnout, improve in physiological parameters and finally improved in quality of life of staff nurses working in critical unit.