Abstract
BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers experience high job stress, contributing to negative health outcomes and poor patient care. This study aims to assess occupational stress and its associated factors among healthcare workers at a tertiary hospital during COVID-19 pandemic in Kathmandu, Nepal. METHODS: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among doctors and nurses in a tertiary hospital. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 368 participants. Bivariate and multiple linear regression analysis identified the predictors associated with occupational stress. RESULTS: The mean occupational stress index score was 149.56±22.01. It was significantly higher among female participants (151.59±19.12 vs 144.2±27.6, p=0.004), married individuals (152.06±19.79 vs 147.01±23.86, p=0.028), those with over 1 year of employment duration (152.17±21.28 vs 145.45±22.60, p=0.004), health workers attending more than four night shift a month (152.30±19.44 vs 135.52±28.45, p<0.001), those working in rotating shift (151.68±21.12 vs 142.17±23.57, p=0.006), those working 48 hours or more per week (152.39±19.28 vs 145.97±24.66, p=0.005), those lacking support from other staff (157.81±18.70 vs 148.17±22.25, p=0.003) and those who consumed alcohol (152.14±21.25 vs 147.18±22.49, p=0.031). Multiple linear regression revealed associations with employment duration over 1 year (β=0.174, p=0.001), rotating shift (β=-0.106, p=0.006), night shifts (β=0.251, p<0.001), working hours of 48 hours or more per week (β=0.175, p=0.001), lack of support from other staff (β=0.130, p=0.010) and low-wealth quintile (β=0.161, p=0.006). CONCLUSION: Occupational stress is associated with employment duration, night shift, rotating shift, working hours, support mechanisms and socioeconomic profile among healthcare workers. There is a crucial need to establish evidence-based actions to prevent occupational stress and promote the overall health of healthcare workers.