Mental load is an important and influencing factor which can affect behavior and performance of nurses in the work environment, so evaluating and solving its related problems improves the quality of nursing care. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of mental workload index with demographic factors and clinical characteristics in nurses working in educational hospitals of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2016.

This descriptive-analytical study included 125 nurses working in the educational hospitals of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2016 by using a stratified random sampling method. Data were collected by using a demographic form (5 questions), a clinical profile form (6 questions) and a standard mental workload index questionnaire (6 questions). Using SPSS 23 software, data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential tests.

The mean mental workload was 73.94±35.35. The effort evaluation score was the highest (84.50±16.20) and the physical demand score was the lowest (51.44±28.36) score. Age, marital status, work shift, work department, rest after shift, number of shifts and physical health status showed a significant relationship with the mental work load (P<0.05), but there was no significant relationship between educational degree and mental work load (P=0.08).

The results of the study showed that the mental burden of work among nurses is high and this issue is related to the demographic factors and clinical characteristics of the nurses. Therefore, while paying attention to the factors related to this index, taking measures to reduce the mental burden of work and its consequences seems necessary in order to improve the quality of nursing care.