Study the Relation between Occupational Stress and Work Ability Index among Nurses of Selected Military Hospital

Maintenance of work ability and continuous effort to improve reduced work ability of employees is a major concern for managers particularly for those who are involved in healthcare settings. Present study was، therefore، conducted to explore the main sources of work stress at work and study their relation between work ability among nurses who work in military hospital. Methods and Materials: A total of 103 nurses aged 20-40 years from selected military hospitals were included in this cross sectional study. Work stress was tested by Occupational Stress Assessment Questionnaire (OSAQ) which has been created for healthcare workers and comprised seven groups of stressors. Work ability was assessed by the Work Ability Index (WAI) and the score was calculated from answers to its seven dimensions. Approximately 45. 6% and 17. 5% of the respondents reported good and excellent work ability respectively. The most perceived stressors were: Work overload، Professional life، Excessive paperwork and Time limits. Negative correlation observed between WAI and Poor work organization، Poor communication with superior، patients'' inadequate expectations، 24-h responsibility، Professional life، Time limits، Excessive paperwork، Threats of lawsuit، Conflicts with colleagues and patients and their family (p< 0. 05). Shift workers reported significantly higher level of stress than nurses with fixed work time (p=0. 039). Work stress can be correlated to WAI. We found nurses with lower WAI perceived some of occupational stressful factors more than nurses with higher WAI.