Physical and Neuropsychical Demands of Work at the Geriatric Ward and Ward for the treatment of Long-term Patients

Overview

The authors performed all-day shift time pictures in 22 employees at the geriatric and long-term patients wards, respectively (5physicians, 10 nurses and 7 ambulance-men) during a total of 106 working shifts. The working activities in individual occupationswere classified into main categories. The authors elaborated a model of lifting immobile patients for the determination of physicalload. Energy expenditure (net) was determined by an estimate using table values according to Borský. The psychicians paid moreattention to professional medical work (49.4% of their shift) and documentation (42.1%). The computer work represented a signifi-cant part of the shift only for head physician (13.8%). Other workers did not have access to personal computers. The nursesperformed mainly their professional tasks (40.9%) and work of preparatory nature (27.4%). Their documentations work constituted23.9% of their shift on the average. In their night shifts the nurses had to substitute the work of ambulance-men, who did nor workat night. The highest minute energy expenditure was observed during tasks concerned of hygienic care of the patients andmanipulation with them (up to 32 kJ x min -1 ) and during tasks concerned of adjustment of the patients’ beds and manipulation withlinen (up to 11 kJ x min -1 ). The work of the nurses is comparable with medium-heavy work in industry. The ambulance-menperformed, in 91% of their shifts, supplementing medical tasks, where their mean minute energy expenditure reach maximumvalues up to 32 kJ x min -1. At both wards under investigation there were virtually no aids and mechanisms for manipulation withimmobile patients. In evaluating neuropsychical work the load for the nurses was placed into category 3 (increased neuropsychicalload), being in category 2 for the occupation ambulance-men (a lower neuropsychical load). Repeated psychical compliants werereported by 78% of nurses, while no ambulance-men had these complaints. Forty four per cent of nurses and 14% of ambulance-men suffered from vertebral columns disorders in the past. The authors gave their recommendation for improvement of the workconditions to leadership of the wards.

Key words:
geriatrics, medical personnel, physical load, neuropsychical load