A preliminary study on the prevalence of work-related stress among house officers in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Atiqah, Yusof, Mohd Khairul Izamil, Zolkefley
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English; English
• Published: AIP Publishing 2024
• Subjects: QP Physiology; RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
• Online Access: http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/40924/1/A%20preliminary%20study%20on%20the%20prevalence%20of%20work-related%20stress.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/40924/2/A%20preliminary%20study%20on%20the%20prevalence%20of%20work-.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/40924/; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0188286

Background : The mental health status among the house officers (HOs) in Malaysia is at an alarming level in which nearly one-third of the HOs are suffering depression and anxiety during their housemanship. This study aims to identify the work-related stress (WRS) domains which affect the mental health of the HOs in Malaysia from the view of the resigned HOs. Method : The questionnaire used in this study is the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards Indicator Tool. A total of 30 respondents consisting of resigned HOs from hospitals all over Malaysia participated in this study. Results : Most of the respondents (63.3%) are female and nearly half of the respondents (46.7%) are married. Majority of respondents (60.0%) had a duration of 1-4 months of working experience as HOs before developing mental health outcomes leading to resignation, in which most respondents (56.7%) are being diagnosed with both depression and anxiety. The mean score for the resigned HOs is 2.36±0.54 indicating high stress level perceived during their housemanship period. For the WRS domains, Control has the lowest mean score of 1.66±0.39 indicating Control has the highest level of WRS perceived by the resigned HOs during their housemanship. Conclusion: This study demonstrated high prevalence of WRS among the HOs. The management of the hospital should be more aware and take prompt interventions such as early detection and monitoring on the mental wellbeing of the HOs, promote constructive working environment, encourage proper task delegations and consider their opinions for any changes in the system.