A STUDY ON STRESS LEVEL MANAGEMENT AMONG DOCTORS IN THE PRIVATE HOSPITAL, BANGALORE. ARUNDATHI. S. V Assistant Professor, Department of MBA, Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Bangalore arupai81@gmail.com Abstract: Stress is Sine qua non, plenty of research has gone behind to make it evident that stress at optimum level makes wonders happen. Kanishtam anishtam, Madhyam maduram, athirekham atamghatakam, it is also believed that stress breeds illness; however it is paradoxical to note that stress is Sine qua non. It is imperative for all organizations irrespective of the sector they are a part of to craft measures for the well-being of their workforce. As regards hospitals are concerned where accomplished, renowned Nurses and Doctors strive to allay fears, worries, grievances of patients and enhance patient loyalty & service level is a sure possibility, provided the very hospital is inhabited by stress free environment. It is paramount to note that, if the dazzling countenance of doctors and nurses is deterred by distress, patient loyalty will observe a fall from the cliff. Patients visiting these affected hospitals will be at sea than before. Stress and illness are correlated. Stress is a slow and insidious malady, which is affecting the healthcare industry, and increased possibilities of death due to incorrect diagnosis to patients. In this study authors have tried to collect the data in order to find out the causes of stress among doctors and nurses in the hospitals and also ascertain the remedies to adopt to mitigate the ill effects of stress. Key words: Optimum Stress, mitigate stress, Service level, work force, stress free environment. 166
INTRODUCTION What is stress? Stress refers to the pressure and reactions to our environment which results in psychological and physical reactions. While some stress is good for motivation and increasing efficiency ( Eu stress ) too much stress can result in negative impacts such as reduced effectiveness and efficiency ( Distress). More and more people are feeling isolated and disrespected at work, and this has led to greater occupational stress. Many companies have taken to consulting experts and professionals on ways to increase connectedness and motivation of their employees. Stress Management (Coping up with stress) Stress management is the need of the hour. However hard we try to go beyond a stress situation, life seems to find new ways of stressing us out and plaguing us with anxiety attacks. Moreover, be it our anxiety, mindbody exhaustion or our erring attitudes, we tend to overlook causes of stress and the conditions triggered by those. In such unsettling moments we often forget that stressors, if not escapable, are fairly manageable and treatable. Stress, either quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders such as dizzy spells, anxiety attacks, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps can all result in chronic health problems. They may also affect our immune, cardiovascular and nervous systems and lead individuals to habitual addictions, which are inter-linked with stress. Like "stress reactions", "relaxation responses" and stress management techniques are some of the body's important built-in response systems. As a relaxation response the body tries to get back balance in its homeostasis. Some hormones released during the 'fight or flight' situation. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To identify the factors causing stress among the employees. To find out the level and kind of stress among the employees of different age groups. To study about the effects of stress on employees in People Tree. To identify the coping strategies to mitigate stress. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The Study is the first comprehensive and objective based to the profession of health 167
care service providing industry, It is confined to a private hospital Bangalore. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY a. Research method : Descriptive Research. Sampling Technique Non Probability Sampling- Convenience or Accidental Sampling. b. Sample Unit & Size Respondents considered for the survey are the doctors from a private hospital and the sample size is 50. c. Data Collection Method 1. Primary Data: Questionnaire method 2. Secondary Data: Company reports. Internet, magazine and newspaper d. Tools and Techniques used For conducting survey study, a structured questionnaire is used, which consists of the questions with well-designed manner, Use of charts- Pie & bar charts. LIMITATIONS Time was the major constraint and the questions regarding the wrong diagnosis was not been answered by any of the doctors. Study is limited only to one hospital and the results may not be generalized. LITERATURE REVIEW Cooper et. al (1989) in their study found four most important predictors of job stress of GPs work-home interface, the demands of the job and patients expectation and practice. For women doctors, the most important predictor is the interference of job with the family and for men it is the joint stressors of practice administration and job demands. Most stress come from night calls, emergencies during surgeries and interruption of family life. Stressors for females are identified too. Female doctors experience more stress than their male counterparts from visiting during adverse weather conditions, and fear of being assault on night visits among others. Finding a locum, the working conflict between their work and personal lives, self-medication and less likely to seek formal medical help. Cooper and others have also identified the stressors like high expectations of others, adverse publicity by the media, the working environment, dealing with problem patients, worrying about complaints and arranging hospital admissions and dealing with terminal illness. Spurgeon et. al (2005) in a study on stress among GPs found that older practitioners were more stressed by the new contract 168
demands in comparison to younger doctors, but younger doctors were more stressed by unrealistic patient demands. Those GPs who considered the job stress responsible for causing them psychological symptoms of ill health were those who reported being particularly stressed about the effects of work on their homes and social lives. Worrying about patients' complaints was an important stressor as was a feeling that the media was becoming more hostile and creating a blame culture. Nakasis & Ouzouni, 2008; Brunero et al, 2006 Occupational stress in nursing can be defined as the physical and emotional reactions that occur when the nurse s abilities and resources cannot deal with with the demands and requests of their work McGrath et al, 2003; Escot et al, 2001 Many studies have shown that nurses experience high levels of occupational stress associated with individual, social, environmental and organizational factors. Ardekani et al, 2008 The nursing profession in general is increasingly characterized by job stress due to the nature of the job.bhatia et al, 2010 Nursing is a rewarding occupation, but at the same time it can also be very stressful. Chances of biased information. Time is constraint to do the project. Doctors do not reveal true information which may be a limitation to the study. Behavioral elements of doctors are not considered. OVERVIEW OF HEALTHCARE SECTOR IN INDIA: India s healthcare sector has made impressive strides in recent years. It has transformed to a US$ 17 billion industry and is surging ahead with an annual growth rate of 13% a year. The healthcare industry in India expected to grow in size to Rupees 270,000 core by 2014. The healthcare industry employs over four million people, which makes it one of the largest service sectors in the economy of our country. Healthcare is dependent on the people served; India s huge population of a billion people represents a big opportunity. People are spending more on healthcare. The rise in literacy rate; the higher levels of income; and an increased awareness through the deep penetration of media, has constituted to greater attention being paid to health. India has a very low density of doctors. Infant mortality is amongst the highest in India. 169
Hospitals in India are running at 80-90% occupancy. Major corporations like the People Tree, Apollo Group, Fortis, Max, Wockhardt, Piramal, Duncan, Ispat, Escorts have made significant investments in setting up state-of the-art private hospitals in cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad. Place of Study The private hospital is a Multi Super Specialty Hospital, strategically located at Bangalore. The hospital dedicated to patients and driven by doctors and seek the respect of their peers. Flagship superspecialties include Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Obstetrics &Gynecology, Advanced Center for Fetal Medicine, Neurosciences, Advanced Center For Pain Management and Dermatology & Cosmetology. Conceptual Framework: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 40% of the respondents felt challenging, 28% of the respondents felt interesting and 32% of the respondents felt that their jobs are routine. 84% of the respondents are strongly agreed, 16% of the respondents agreed about the completion of work within specified time. 56% of respondents said yes and 44% of respondents said no when they were asked about the stress in their job. 44% of respondents are highly satisfied, 48% of respondents are satisfied and 8% of respondents felt neutral about the physical working conditions of the organization. 36% of respondents felt highly amicable, 55% of the respondents felt cordial and 20% of the respondents felt neutral about 170
the psychological working conditions of the organization. 20% of respondents felt excellent, 68% of the respondents felt good and 12% of the respondents felt better about the training programs conducted in the organization. 68% of the respondents are satisfied, 20% of the respondents felt neutral and 12% of the respondents are dissatisfied with the pay package provided by the organization. 76% of the respondents agreed, 12% of the respondents are undecided and 12% of the respondents disagreed that they are overloaded with work. 84% of the respondents felt role overload and 16% of the respondents felt interpersonal relationship causes more stress. 20% of respondents felt physical stress, 24% of respondents felt mental stress and 56% of respondents felt that they suffer with both physical and mental stress in their job. 52% of respondents felt yes and 48% of respondents felt no towards the physical inconvenience due to stress. 24% of respondents felt very high level of stress, 52% of respondents felt high level of stress and 36% of respondents felt moderate level of stress in their job. 84% of respondents suffer with headache and 16% of respondents suffer with high blood pressure are some of the physical kind of inconvenience caused due to stress. 24% of respondents agreed, 52% of respondents undecided and 24% of respondents disagreed that the quality of the job is deteriorated due to stress. 44% of the respondents said they adopt exercise and 28% of them adopt meditation and 16 % listen to music take a walk 8% take a walk and 16% spend time with children. 76% of respondents said yes and 24% of respondents said the organization is not taking any suitable steps to manage stress. 72% of respondents are Employee have adapted counseling and 28% of respondent adapted effective training and development programs to overcome from stress. 171
GRAPH SHOWING COPING STRATEGIES TO MANAGE STRESS Almost all the employees using coping strategies are into listening music for decreasing the stress. GRAPH SHOWING COMPANY-WIDE PROGRAMS ADAPTED TO MANAGE STRESS Interpretation: Though the employees are facing stress at work most of the employees are not taking a step forward to determine coping strategies to overcome stress. This shows most employees do not show interest in coping stress by themselves. GRAPH SHOWING KIND OF STRATEGIES TO MANAGE STRESS Interpretation: Out of the people who imputed coping up strategies to decrease stress, Listening to music is found to be one of the prominent distressed and widely used. Interpretation: Employee counseling and training and development are the major coping programs adapted by the hospital. FINDINGS We have discovered that doctors are more focused and can manage the stress well. As doctors have opted the profession with their will. Due to the inflexible shift system we have seen the stress level is increasing among doctors. Lack of motivation by not recognizing their services are also one of the major causes for the job dissatisfaction which is leading to the stress. With all these challenges the management has conducted this survey and it has already adapted the 172
counseling method and effective training and development system in the hospital. Doctors must adapt the stress level management system and nurses must work on the identification of the causes of stress and then the coping strategies through which they can manage their professional and personal life. CONCLUSION With passing days jobs are getting more complex, patient expectations have scaled new heights, hence surging workload have impacted personal and space of doctors and nurses, studies indicate that intellectual beings, owing to their high reasoning skills are prone to stress. The study is an eye opener to many working professionals to succumb to stress related illness; hence it is vital to incorporate stress evading habits in our personality and life style like a few mentioned below. Stress is reduced when there is clarity of work and responsibilities. There must be clear understanding of job, role and responsibilities among the management and doctors. Doctors must always be ready for the service; this mindset may reduce the stress, as most of the doctors feel that working in nightshifts or any emergency is stressful. The management must help the doctors to understand the emotional intelligence factors in order to manage the stress. The research gap is to find out the relationship between the emotional intelligence and the stress levels. This can be applied to any of the occupational stress. Vaidyo narayano harihi- doctor is equivalent to the god. Being in such respectable position they are bundled with high responsibilities to save the lives of the patients. This will definitely lead to the stress and this study is useful in order to identify, analyze and find out the solutions for stress and the coping strategies. REFERENCES Books Referred:- 1. Spurgeon et. al (2005) in a study on stress among GPs 2. The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook by M. Davis, E. Eshelman, & M. McKay Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Wellbeing by Brian Luke Seaward Full Catastrophe Living by J. Kabat-Zinn 173
3. Sadock BJ, Sadock VA (2007). Psychosomatic medicine. In Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 10th ed., pp. 813 838. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 4. Ashwathappa Human Resource Management and Personnel Management III Edition TATA McGraw-Hill 5. Subba Rao Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations II Edition Himalaya Publishing House WEBSITES: www.hr-guide.com www.caritor.com JOURNALS: 1. ICFAI HRM Review, February 2005 2.IQ Magazine, November/December 2002 174