Assessment of indicators of nervous and emotional stress in medical center personnel depending on the characteristics of their professional activity

Abstract

Introduction. Digital technologies are actively used in the work of specialists of medical centers of various profiles, which causes the impact on employees of a number of professional factors that determine the characteristics of their work. The aim of the study is to evaluate the influence of professional factors on the functional state of the employees' body and the glutathione system as an objective indicator of stress based on the analysis of the subjective perception of the medical center employees of the specifics of working with personal computers and psychophysiological testing. Materials and methods. The study involved 109 specialists of medical centers (25 ophthalmologists, 31 representatives of the secondary medical staff - nurses and paramedics, 53 office employees). The anonymous survey concerned the assessment of working conditions and their impact on the functional state of the body of the respondents. Performance and stress tolerance indicators were evaluated using three standard questionnaires. The study of 66 subjects' levels of glutathione in the blood: total, reduced, oxidized and the ratio of reduced and oxidized - was used to analyze the relationship of the neuro-emotional nature of labor with the reaction of oxidative stress. Statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using traditional methods of variation statistics and calculating the value of the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results. The survey revealed a significant proportion of people in all groups of respondents who constantly use computer technology in their work. Describing the quality of the processed information, doctors more than representatives of other groups note its complexity, importance, negative emotional color, a high degree of responsibility and tension. Doctors more often than average medical staff and office workers associate the manifestation of fatigue with an uncomfortable state of the visual organ, nervous system, and musculoskeletal system. The subjects showed reduced performance and stress tolerance with the most pronounced negative trends in the group of doctors. Changes in the glutathione system were detected, indicating the presence of oxidative stress in 40% of ophthalmologists and office workers, and in half of nurses. Conclusions. The work of specialists of medical centers of various profiles in accordance with their assessment is characterized by high nervous and emotional stress, due to the need to process a significant amount of complex and important professionally significant information. Subjectively noted by respondents the influence of working conditions on the functional state of the body is confirmed by indicators of the glutathione system, which can be used as indicators of nervous and emotional stress.