Assessment of occupational stress among emergency department staff: a descriptive study at Ibn Jazzar Hospital in Kairouan

• Imen Mabrouk

• Imen KETATA

  AHU urgence Ibn Jazzar Kairouan

• Raja Kalai

• Hadhami Zguem

• Chafiaa Bouhamed

Introduction:
Work in emergency departments is recognized as being highly exposed to occupational stress due to heavy workloads, time pressure, and the severity of clinical situations. This stress can have negative consequences on healthcare workers’ health, work quality, and patient safety.

Objective:
To assess the level of occupational stress among emergency department staff and to identify associated organizational factors.

Methods:
This was a descriptive study conducted in the emergency department of Ibn Jazzar Hospital in Kairouan between November 2024 and January 2025. Occupational stress was assessed using the Karasek questionnaire among 44 healthcare professionals.

Results:
The prevalence of high psychological demand was high (65.1%). The majority of participants (90.5%) showed moderate to high decision latitude. Social support was considered insufficient among a large proportion of participants. Sixty percent of professionals were classified as being in a job strain situation, mainly general practitioners, predominantly female, aged between 30 and 49 years.

Conclusion: Occupational stress is very common among emergency department staff. These findings highlight the need to improve work organization and strengthen institutional support in order to preserve healthcare workers’ health and the quality of care.

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