[Continuous monitoring of pulse and blood pressure among telephone operators].
The purpose of the study was to evaluate a) whether the monitoring device was usable during ordinary working conditions, b) whether job-strain and self-reported stress influenced the blood pressure and pulse and c) whether there was a correlation between job-strain and self-reported stress. Twenty-six female telephone-operators were monitored during a working day. Job-strain was defined as the number of calls to the telephone operator. Eighty-nine percent of the monitoring measurements were usable. No difference was found between the blood pressure and pulse during rest and during work. A significant negative correlation was found between the number of calls and the blood pressure, and a significant positive correlation between the number of calls and self-reported stress. The device  can give information about variations in blood-pressure and pulse during physically quiet work. The results show surprisingly that the quantitative workload is in itself not necessarily a stress factor at work. Perhaps waiting time and unpredictability are of greater importance.
Nielsen
H W
HW
Centralsygehuset i Nykøbing F, arbejdsmedicinsk afdeling.
D000328:Adult; D015924:Blood Pressure Monitors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011674:Pulse; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013689:Telephone; D016526:Workload
Kontinuerlig puls- og blodtryksmåling hos telefonister i arbejde.