Work related stress amongst nurse managers in a rural district hospital in Limpopo Province

Abstract

BACKGROUND Work related stress is a globally discussed and known phenomenon in countries irrespective of their stage of economic development. The nature of work related stress is harmful and uneconomic as it hampers productivity in the provision of quality services in organisations and give rise to undesirable socio-economic effects. Work related stress is a mismatch that occurs between an individual and the work environment, wherein the higher the imbalance between the external demands and an individual’s abilities. Nursing is noted for producing relatively high levels of stress due to the pressure-full and demanding nature of the job. Within nursing, nurse managers are noted to be specifically vulnerable to experiencing higher stress levels due to the stressful situations they are constantly facing, the higher the level of stress that will be experienced. Work related stress may have negative consequences for nurse managers such as lack of concern for themselves or their work and a negative self-image AIM AND OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore and describe the perceptions of nurse managers in a rural public hospital regarding work related stress. METHOD The study was explorative and descriptive qualitative in nature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 nurse managers working at the designated hospital. By using content analysis five themes were identified: 1) Causes of work related stress, 2) Signs and symptoms of work related stress, 3) Consequences of work related stress, 4) Current strategies to cope with work related stress, 5) Recommended strategies to cope with work related stress. FINDINGS Nurse managers in the rural district hospital are aware of the nature of work related stress in their work, the causes and contributory factors, and several strategies they deem important to assist in the management of work related stress were recommended. CONCLUSION Nurse managers in a rural district hospital are exposed to high levels of work related stress due to the nature of their job and poor working conditions in the hospital. Recommendations to assist in the management of work related stress were made. KEYWORDS: work related stress, nurse managers, rural areas, district hospital