Supplementary Files
Keywords
Emergency Service
Health Personnel
Hospital
Intensive Care Units
Mental Health
Pakistan
Psychological Stress
Workload
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: To assess the mental health and associated factors among healthcare professionals working in high workload departments of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan.
Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from April to July at the Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan. 260 participants (aged 30-65 years, >6 months experience) were recruited via non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, including the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), where a score above 16 indicated poor mental health. SPSS version 27 was used for analysis. Chi-square tests identified associations that were then entered into a multi-logistic regression model to control for confounders and identify independent predictors. Statistical significance in regression was set at p<0.05.
Results: A mean GHQ-28 total score of 34.85 (SD=12.29) indicated that 72.3% of participants had poor mental health. The subscales measuring physical symptoms and anxiety/insomnia had the highest mean values. Multivariate logistic regression showed that high job stress was the sole significant predictor of poor mental health, despite bivariate analysis showing significant relationships with high workload (p = 0.015) and dissatisfaction with work-life balance (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: A significant percentage of healthcare professionals in departments with heavy workloads experience mental health issues, which are mostly caused by excessive workloads and a lack of work-life balance. In order to protect healthcare professionals' well-being and improve patient care outcomes, targeted interventions—such as mental health support programs, task redistribution, and institutional support mechanisms—are desperately needed.
Keywords: Allied Health Personnel, Emergency Service, Health Personnel, Hospital, Intensive Care Units, Mental Health, Pakistan, Psychological Stress, Workload
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