الفهرس 
ERGONOMICSOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
Abstract
Ergonomics is the adaptation of the machine/work area to the employee to reduce work related stress. It is concerned with the performance of humans at work, how they cope with the working environment, interact with machines, and their work surroundings. Human efficiency and wellbeing are ultimately enhanced, and many cost savings result. The benefits of ergonomics in the nursing workplace include increasing of the quality of nursing care as well decreasing nursing shortage and staff burnout and stress related to work.
This study was aimed at assessing the relationship between ergonomics and work-related stress among staff nurses through determining the ergonomics among staff nurses, assessing work-related stress among staff nurses, and finding out the relationship between ergonomics and work related stress among them. The study was conducted at Menouf Fevers Hospital using a descriptive correlational design. It involved all 140 staff nurses working in the setting during the time of the study. Data collection was done using a self-administered questionnaire that included the ergonomics questionnaire and the work-related stress rating scale. Tool validity was verified through experts’ opinions, and its reliability was shown through their internal consistency. It was pilot-tested and finalized accordingly. The fieldwork lasted for one month, February 2018.
The study findings were as following:
Nurses’ age was mostly 20 to less than 25 years (41.4%), with a majority of females (89.3%), with diploma degree (81.4%); 62.9% had less than 10-year experience, and 70.7% had previously attended training courses.
Overall, the areas of highest ergonomic adequacy were manual material handling (49.3%) and work environment (56.4%), while work time schedule was the lowest (9.3%).
In total, only 17.9% of the nurses considered their workplace as ergonomically adequate.
The areas of highest stress were those of disagreement among nurses (90.7%), conflict with physicians (92.9%), and lack of support from leadership (93.6%), whereas the least stressful were those of nurse capability (28.6%) and dealing with dying patient (47.9%).
The majority of the nurses had high total stress (84.3%).
The nurses who had attended training courses had significantly higher percentage of reported adequate ergonomics.
Statistically significant relations were revealed between adequate ergonomics and the low stress related to dealing with dying patient, uncertainty about treatment, and workload.
Significant weak positive correlations were revealed between nurses’ scores of ergonomics of workplace design and work environment (r=0.417) and work time schedule (r=0.296).
Negative weak correlations were shown between the scores of ergonomics of manual material handling and workplace design (r=-0.179) and work time schedule (r=-0.204).
A statistically significant weak negative correlation was demonstrated between nurses scores of adequacy of ergonomics and work stress (r=-0.276).
In multivariate analysis:
o Female gender and nursing qualification were negative predictors of the score of adequacy of ergonomics.
o The ergonomics adequacy score was a negative predictor of the stress score.
In conclusion, most staff nurses in the study setting consider their workplace ergonomically inadequate, and have high levels of stress related to their work. The ergonomics adequacy score is a negative predictor of the stress score.
The study recommends training for nurses in ergonomics, with more efforts from the hospital administration to improve the workplace ergonomics. Simple pamphlets explaining ergonomics and its principles need to be prepared and disseminated. Stress management programs are suggested for nurses to deal with their high levels of job stress, with more leadership support to nursing staff. Intervention studies are proposed to investigate the effectiveness of improving workplace ergonomics on nurses’ job stress and on their productivity.