On World Health Day, April 7, Godrej Interio released an independent study: “Elevating Experiences, Enriching Lives’’. The World Health Organisation had chosen this year to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, and remind the world of the critical role they play in keeping the society healthy. In line with the theme, the study by Godrej Interio discusses prevalent challenges faced by the nursing forces while delivering healthcare services in the country.
Caregivers face tremendous work-related stress, burnout due to workload, and long working hours due to the acute shortage of trained workforce. The job also has significant physical demands like standing for long hours, performing tasks in awkward and sustained postures, and handling patients while transferring them. This poses a high risk of musculoskeletal disorders.
The study revealed that long working hours, overtime and work overload affects the physical and psychological wellbeing of the nurses. While more than 90% of nurses have MSD (musculoskeletal disorder), 61% also experienced neck pain sometimes. Most recurring pain area (51%) is leg ache, followed by knee pain (51%). Similarly, 51% nurses complained of upper and lower back issues, 41% reported to have taken leave(s) for one-three days whereas 7% nurses have taken leaves for 4-6 days in a span of two months to manage the pain, indicating an evident productivity loss to the organisation.
Even before the onset of the pandemic, India was suffering from a shortage of 2 million nurses (WHO, 2019). The nurse to patient ratio for India is only around 2.1 nurses per 1000 population.
The study also explored the strain on the workforce due to the acute shortage of caregivers.
It revealed that 88% of nurses work for eight-10 hours a day along with doing overtime at least thrice a month. Similarly, 74% of the nurses stand for more than four to six hours a day at a stretch, causing stress on their lower limbs. While 20% of nurses reported performing double-shift duty at least twice a month.