Affiliations: Department of Research and Occupational Health,
Administration of Occupational Safety and Health, Reykjavik, Iceland | Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Iceland,
Sudurgata, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Gudbjorg Linda Rafnsdottir,
Department of Research and Occupational Health, Administration of Occupational
Safety and Health, Bildshofdi 16, 110 Reykjavik, Iceland. Tel.: +354 550 4600;
Fax: +354 550 4610; E-mail: linda@ver.is
Abstract: The objective of the present study was to explore the connection
between the organization of work in geriatric care and factors which have been
connected to job stress and burnout, i.e. exhaustion, mental workload, job
satisfaction and communication. We also analyzed how these factors were related
to employee visits to doctors during the previous 12 months due to various
medical conditions. The study was a cross-sectional questionnaire distributed
to all employees within nursing homes and geriatric hospital wards with 10
employees or more throughout Iceland. The total response rate was 80%. The
majority of respondents, or 96%, were women (n = 1432), and
the results are based on their answers. Our data show that there is a high correlation between mental
exhaustion and the unsatisfactory organization of work. Mental exhaustion upon
completing work shifts was more closely connected to the health outcomes
studied than were the other work-related factors studied. This is especially
true for chronic fatigue, depression and sleeping disorders. It is important that employers and managers notice the mismatches
between work and workers that this study manifests. Employers and managers must
also consider the organizational factors that are influential.
