The effect of stress on the performance and efficiency of hospital managers and matrons

The present study intended to: 1) investigate the effect of stress on the performance of managers and matrons in hospitals affiliated to Iran, Tehran and Shahid Beheshti medical universities, 2) analyze the effects of stress on the efficiency of individuals under study. For this purpose, 100 questionnaires were distributed among managers and matrons in 53 hospitals in Tehran. There was no sampling in this research. Eighty-eight individuals (43 managers and 45 matrons) participated. The results indicated that the level of stress was 31.34% for all participants, 19.51% for managers and 43.18% for matrons separately. Findings showed that environmental factors caused stress in managers and matrons. Analyses of stress effects on the performance of managers displayed that stress eliminates concentration needed for decision making and reduces the quality of their works. Concentration elimination needed for effective decision making was recognized as stress result in matrons, too. If we consider "concentration elimination needed for effective decision making" and "qualified work" as the influencing factors in efficiency of managers and matrons in hospitals, then we can conclude that the reported stresses by these individuals are the factors that influence their efficiency and reduces it and lack of health in these studied individuals that is or will be the result of continuing stress, is a repeated threat to the efficiency of managers and matrons. Regarding the results of this study, the necessity of removing factors causing job stresses and providing mental health for the managers and matrons in studied hospitals are revealed.