Caring for the carers.
The author reports a small-scale study of stress in the labour ward. 25 labour ward staff were asked about stress at work. 80% felt stressed at work, citing overwork as the main cause, and talking to others as the main way of coping. Existing counselling facilities were found to be underused Stress did not appear to spread over into private lives. Only half of those questioned felt adequately supported at work. Participants were offered a 20-minute massage, and all felt this helped reduce stress. The average pulse rate of participants dropped by 12 beats per minute during massage.
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D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008405:Massage; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000523:psychology*