Quantitative work demands, emotional demands, and cognitive stress symptoms in surgery nurses.
In surgery, cognitive stress symptoms, including problems in concentrating, deciding, memorising, and reflecting are risks to patient safety. Recent evidence points to social stressors as antecedents of cognitive stress symptoms in surgery personnel. The current study tests whether cognitive stress symptoms are positively associated with emotional abuse, emotional- and task-related demands and resources in surgery work. Forty-eight surgery nurses from two hospitals filled out the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire in its German version. Task-related and emotional demands were positively related to cognitive stress symptoms. In a stepwise, multiple, linear regression of cognitive stress symptoms on task-related and emotional demands, emotional abuse and emotional demands were unique predictors (p < .05). Efforts to increase patient safety should address emotional abuse, emotional demands, and, therefore, communication and cooperation team climate in surgery personnel.
a Department of Work and Organizational Psychology , University of Bern , Bern , Switzerland.|b National Centre of Competence in Research, Affective Sciences , University of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland.
Achim
A
Elfering
a Department of Work and Organizational Psychology , University of Bern , Bern , Switzerland.
Simone
S
Grebner
c Bern University of Applied Sciences , Health Division, Discipline of Physiotherapy , Bern , Switzerland.
Monika
M
Leitner
d Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery , University Hospital Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany.
Anja
A
Hirschmüller
d Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery , University Hospital Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany.
Eva Johanna
EJ
Kubosch
c Bern University of Applied Sciences , Health Division, Discipline of Physiotherapy , Bern , Switzerland.
Heiner
H
Baur
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D000073397:Occupational Stress / Q000523:psychology*; D061214:Patient Safety; D013527:Perioperative Nursing; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*
Patient safety; emotional abuse; mobbing; occupational stress