Evaluation of the Level of Stress and Sleepiness among Physicians Working in Mashhad

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Mashhad Medical Council, Mashhad, Iran

2 School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran , Iran

Abstract

Background: In recent years, stress and mental health of employees in different disciplines have been under significant attention by the policy makers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the stress and sleepiness among physicians working in Mashhad, Iran.
Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study conducted in 2015, a sample of 160 general practitioners and specialist was randomly selected from those came to the Mashhad Medical Council (for approving or renewal of their office licenses) were selected within 3 months. A questionnaire containing three parts of demographic information, stress score and sleepiness score (Epworth) was used.
Results: In this study, 93 general practitioners and 67 specialists answered the questions. The mean age of the respondents was 42.9 ± 0.7 years. The majority of participants (82.5%) were married. The average weekly working hours was 40.8 ± 1.7, and they visited an average of 31.1 ± 2.1 patients per day. Sleeping hours of respondents was 6.9 ± 0.1 hours per day. The mean stress score of the respondents was 14.1 ± 5.4. Mean stress scores was significantly higher in women (P = 0.004), specialists (P = 0.032), and respondents who reported insufficient income (P = 0.040). Mean sleepiness score was 7.3 ± 1.4 among all participants. Physicians who reported insufficient income had significantly more sleepiness scores (P = 0.006). Using Pierson’s correlation coefficient test, we found a direct association between stress score and sleepiness score (P < 0.001, r = 0.358), implying that physicians with higher stress had more sleepiness.
Conclusion: Stress is high among physicians working in Mashhad city and the level of sleepiness is moderate among them. Reducing stressors in medical settings and increasing the knowledge of medical students about these factors before entering to the work environment can improve the well-being of the future physicians.

Keywords

References

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