stress and its consequences on primary health care workers

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study:

Stress in medical practice has always been a topical issue. Health care profession has been depicted as one of the most stressful occupations. There are several studies which indicated that the stress is intrinsic in health care and it adversely impacts the physical and psychological well-beings of health care professionals. The healthcare workers have long been known to experience appreciable stress and is considered be a highly stressful group and were worryingly associated with higher rates of psychological distress than many other workers of different sectors (Khosa, et al., 2014; Burke and Richardson, 1991; Lua & Imilia,2011; Kakunje. A, 2011; Aziz, 2004; Burke & Deszca, 1986; Sonneck & Wagner, 1996;Moustaka, & Constantinidis, 2010)

Statement of the Problem:

            Stress and stress-related illnesses are increasing among medical specialists. This poses a serious problem, not only for physicians’ well-being but also for the quality of patient care. (Visser et al., 2003). While some workplace stress is normal, excessive stress had negatively impact on individual’s performance (Alkhazrajy et al., 2014). All health professions face numerous stressors within their clinical practice, including time pressures, workload, multiple roles and emotional issues. Frequent workplace/occupational stress can impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of health professionals and result in burnout and, in some cases, traumatic stress-like symptoms. These outcomes can impact not only on the wellbeing of health professionals but also on their ability to practise effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

This study seeks to assess stress and its consequences on primary health care workers
Specifically, the study intends to:

1. Ascertain the categories of job stress
2. Examine the cause(s) of job stress among primary health care workers
3. Examine the consequence(s) of job stress on the primary health care workers
4. Determine the extent to which job stress had affected primary health care workers

5          Determine the strategies for the control of Job stress among primary health care workers in the zone.

Research Questions:

            The following research questions will guide the study.

1. What are the categories of job stress existing among primary health care workers?
2. What are the cause(s) of job stress among primary health care workers ?
3. What are the consequences of job stress on primary health care workers ?
4. To what extent had job stress affected primary health care workers?

5          What are the strategies for the control of job stress among primary health care worker?

Significance of the Study:

It is expected that the findings of the study will be of benefit to primary health care workers
.
Primary health care workers will immensely benefit from the study. This is because the study will provide them with the categories, causes, consequences and problems of job stress as it relates to their working environment. Not only that, they will also be aware of the strategies for reducing the effect of stress on their performance as they go about their normal duties. In addition, the findings of the study will provide the primary health care workers with ample information on what constitute the causes of stress among them and the viable means of controlling them. They will also be provided with handy information on the consequences of thee stresses on their working efficiency.

Scope of the Study:

This study geographically covered north-central Nigeria. The zone is composed of Kogi, Benue, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau states of the federation as well as Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.