Relationship between mental workload and mental health of nurses caring for patients with Covid-19

During the corona pandemic, due to the shortage of nurses, increasing number of patients with Corona, and the volume of nursing care, the workload of nurses has increased. Nurses 'mental health can be a determining factor in nurses' work efficiency and quality of performance. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between mental workload and the mental health of nurses caring for patients with Covid-19.

In this cross-sectional correlational study, 110 nurses working in educational and medical centers affiliated with Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2021 participated and were selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected by demographic questionnaire, mental workload questionnaire (NASA-TLX), and a self-report general health questionnaire (GHQ28) and analyzed by SPSS20 software using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. P<0.05 is considered significant.

The average overall score of nurses' workload was 65.3 ± 12.1, and the highest score related to physical pressure and the lowest score related to efficiency was 74.9 ± 20.3 and 27.6 ± 23.9, respectively. The average mental health score of the nurses was 29.8 ± 10.3, the highest average score was related to physical symptoms (12.8 ± 3.1) and the lowest was related to depression (4.9 ± 3.6). Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a positive correlation between workload and mental health (r=0.217, P=0.001), workload and physical symptoms had a positive correlation (r=0.327 and P=0.013), and physical pressure and physical symptoms had a positive correlation (r = 0.203 and P = 0.001) and there is significance.

Based on the findings of the research, during the corona, the amount of mental workload increased and there was an inverse relationship between workload and mental health, that is, mental health decreases with increasing workload. Therefore, it is suggested that managers help control the workload and improve the mental health of nurses by thinking of measures.