EMOTIONAL LABOUR AND WORK STRESS AMONG NURSES AND DOCTORS

ABSTRACT 

The study empirically examined emotional labour and work stress among Nurses and Doctors in tertiary health institutions. To guide the study, four research questions were raised, and two hypothesis was generated. A survey research design which entails the use of structured questionnaire in sampling the opinion of the respondents on the subject was adopted in gathering data on the level of emotional labour among the medical practitioners, the factors militating against the practice of emotional labour, as well as the consequences of emotional labour. The Taro Yamane (1976) sample determination formula was used to determine the sample size from the population, and after due computation, a sample of 282 respondents was arrived at. A total of 282 questionnaires were distributed, however, only two hundred and forty five (245) copies comprising 73 doctors and 172 nurses were retrieved. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, simple frequency count, percentages, and mean. Findings obtained from the analysis among other things, showed a relatively low level of emotional labour practices amongst nurses and doctors; that nurses practice emotional labour more than doctors in the tertiary health institution, and the most influential factor militating against the practice of emotional labour by health care practitioners were heavy workload and time constraints in health care settings; and overall, that emotional labour and work stress have negative implications on the health and performance of nurses and doctors. Based on the findings, the study suggested that, tertiary health care organizations should implement policies and practices that promote a healthy work-life balance, such as flexible scheduling, adequate time off, and opportunities for self-care. By implementing these policy recommendations, health regulators can improve the emotional labor practices of nurses and doctors, enhance the well-being and performance of healthcare practitioners, and ultimately provide better quality care to patients.