Investigating the Effect of Job and Demographic Characteristics on Mental Workload and Subsequent Job Fatigue in Operating Room Personnel of Educational-Therapeutic Hospitals

The study of workload was initially focused on physical workload, but today, with the change in job characteristics, studies are mainly focused on mental workload. This study has investigated the level of mental workload, fatigue, and possible influential factors in operating room personnel.

This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study investigated the factors affecting mental workload and fatigue in operating room personnel of hospitals. The data was collected with demographic, CIS20R, and NASA-TLX questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed with Pearson correlation tests, one-way analysis of variance, and independent t-test.

This study's maximum and minimum total mental workload were 100 and 41.2, respectively, with an average of 74.3. Among the demographic characteristics, the level of education had a significant correlation with the total mental workload. Also, some sub-scales of mental workload had a significant relationship with some demographic characteristics. This study's maximum and minimum total fatigue was 97 and 28, respectively, with an average of 58.4. Among the different dimensions of mental workload, performance and the degree of frustration had a significant relationship with total fatigue.

The results of this study showed that the mental workload in operating room personnel is high and different dimensions of mental workload and fatigue have a significant relationship with each other. Also, some demographic characteristics affect mental workload. Therefore, mental workload and fatigue are related to each other, and by reducing the mental workload in the operating room personnel, fatigue can be controlled to some extent.