General Health of Nurses in Special Care Units of Hospitals in Qom: Descriptive-cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives: General health problems that can create major challenges are common among health care providers such as nurses. This study aims to determine the general health of nurses in special care units of hospitals in Qom, Iran. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 on 300 nurses working in intensive care and critical care units of three teaching hospitals affiliated to Qom University of Medical Sciences who were selected using a consensus sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic form and the General Health Questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS v. 16 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The results showed that 52.3% of nurses were exposed to general health problems. The mean score of general health was 25.43± 8.84. The highest score (lowest level) was related to social function domain (13.27±1.94) while the lowest score (highest level) was belonged to depression (2.1±1.24). There was no significant relationship between nurses ’demographic factors and general health. Conclusion: To reduce the general health problems of nurses in special care units of hospitals in Qom city, psychological interventions should be provided to them by nursing managers.

Keywords

• health
• intensive care unit
• nurses