Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between 12 work-related
stressors and the occurrence of adverse events in an emergency department (ED).
Methods
Nurses and physicians, working in an ED at a Danish regional hospital, filled out
a questionnaire on occurrence and emotional impact of 12 work-related stressors after
each shift during a 4-week period. The questionnaire also instructed the participants
to describe any adverse events that they were involved in during the shift.
Results
Two hundred fourteen adverse events were reported during the 979 studied shifts. During
the same period, only 27 adverse events were reported to the mandatory national reporting
system, and only 10 of these were duplicates. A high variability of stressors and
emotional impact among the different groups of participants was found. Linear regression
analysis showed an association between involvement in adverse events and the occurrence
and emotional impact of stressors across groups, whereas no significant association
was found for age, seniority, shift type, or length.
Conclusion
The study showed an association between the occurrence and impact of 12 work-related
stressors and involvement in adverse events across the groups of participants. Furthermore,
the study showed that most adverse events were not reported to the mandatory national
reporting system.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: January 23, 2013
Accepted:
October 5,
2012
Received in revised form:
September 25,
2012
Received:
July 12,
2012
Footnotes
☆The project was funded by Trygfonden (grant no. 7-10-0949 ).
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
