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Structure of work ability of doctors of surgical profile of emergency medical care

Structure of work ability of doctors of surgical profile of emergency medical care

ISSN 2223-6775 Ukrainian journal of occupational health Vol.21, No 4, 2025

https://doi.org/10.33573/ujoh2025.04.299

Structure of work ability of doctors of surgical profile of emergency medical care

Bobko N.A., Yavorskiy E.E., Dovgopola S.P.

State Institution "Kundiiev Institute of Occupational Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine", Kyiv

Full article (PDF), UKR

  1. Introduction. The tension of surgeons' work is classified as the highest category of harmfulness (class 3.3) due to emotional, intellectual loads, and work regime. The heaviness of surgeons' work belongs to the permissible class 2, but of every fourth one belongs to the harmful class 3.1-3.2. Sociability, stress resistance, and low anxiety are professionally important qualities of a surgeon.

    The purpose of the study is to reveal psychophysiological correlates of work ability as a multifaceted functional body state in emergency hospital surgeons, as well as the role of stress and anxiety in the formation of their work ability.

    Materials and methods. 64 surgeons were examined using computer tests in a cross-sectional study: time perception (reproduction of intervals of 2-5 s), short-term memory, concentration and switching of attention, efficiency of processing simple and complex information flow under time pressing (search for a missed element within a 4- and 10-element alphabet), situational anxiety, felt stress, self-assessment of work ability - general professional, physical, mental, sociability; assessment of emotional work ability. Data were processed at p<0.05.

    Results. The efficiency of performing the test for attention concentration was positively correlated with general professional work ability (quality - up to p<0.04...0.05; accuracy coefficient of selective attention - p<0.03). The quality of processing a simple information flow under time pressing was negatively correlated with emotional work ability (p<0.006...0.03). The speed of correct solution of tasks from a complex information flow under time pressing was positively correlated with emotional work ability (r=0.289, p<0.04), the time for recovery between tasks was positively correlated with general professional work ability (r=0.264, p<0.05). The quality of attention switching was negatively correlated with communicative work ability (r=0.267, p<0.04).

    The accuracy of reproduction of 5-second time intervals was positively correlated with communicative work ability (r=0.257, p<0.05); the stability of the dominance of one of the cerebral hemispheres was positively correlated with physical (r=0.281, p<0.04) and emotional (r=0.281, p<0.04) work ability.

    Situational anxiety was negatively correlated with each of the five studied aspects of work ability (p<0.00004...0.03), felt stress - with communicative (p<0.0006), physical (p<0.002) and general professional (p<0.004) work ability. On average, the group showed medium-level anxiety (M±m: 37.9±1.2 points - within 31-45) and a low level of felt stress (1.65±0.11).

    Conclusions. The leading psychophysiological correlate of work ability of surgeons is the quality of attention concentration (for general professional work ability - p<0.03...0.05), which can be realized by reducing the speed of information processing under time pressure. The quality of attention switching deteriorates with increasing sociability, which may be a consequence of distraction under communication. An increase in emotional work ability under an intense flow of simple information under time pressure is accompanied by a deterioration in the quality of attention concentration (p<0.007...0.03) against the background of an improvement in the speed indicators of information processing (reduction in self-recovery time (p<0.05)), which can be associated with "rhythm assimilation" (according to O.O. Ukhtomsky) to a greater extent than with ensuring the quality of information processing. A positive correlate of performance is the accuracy of time perception (for communicative work ability - p<0.05) and the stable dominance of one of the cerebral hemispheres (for physical and emotional work ability - p<0.04), for emotional work ability - the dominance of the left hemisphere (p<0.10). Stress and anxiety are negative correlates of surgeons' work ability: with increasing stress, work ability deteriorates (p<0.0006...0.09), as well as with increasing anxiety (p<0.00004...0.03). According to group data, the felt stress is relatively low, which is consistent with the literature, while situational anxiety is medium-level, which can be associated with the greater complexity of urgent operations, often of an unknown nature of the pending operation against the backdrop of the regular daily shifts and overtime work.

    Keywords: professional work ability, physical work ability, mental work ability, emotional work ability, sociability, stress, anxiety, time perception, dominant brain hemisphere, attention, work under time pressure, daily shifts, overtime work.

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