Iranian Journal of Ergonomics

Introduction: As a healthcare providing establishment, hospitals can be affected by sources of noise pollution which then impose negative effects on the health and comfort of patients and personnel. The present study was conducted to determine the relationship between sound annoyance and general health in the personnel of university affiliated and non-university affiliated hospitals in Shiraz.

Materials and Methods: The present descriptive analytical study was conducted in four university affiliated and non-university affiliated hospitals in Shiraz with a sample size of 300 using a predetermined equation and according to the results of previous studies. The instruments used in the study included the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Noise Annoyance Scale (NAS) and an audiometer (CEL-440 model).

Findings: The present study found a small inverse relationship between the total general health score in the hospital personnel and the sound pressure level at university-affiliated hospitals (r=-0.103) and a direct positive relationship at non-university affiliated hospitals (r=0.274), which were not statistically significant (P≤0.05). The relationship of somatic symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction and depression to sound pressure was inverse and small (r=-0.195 and P≥0.05). However, there was a direct positive relationship between general health and sound annoyance (r=0.266 and P≤0.05).Conclusion: According to the results obtained, noise levels are higher than the acceptable exposure limit in university-affiliated hospitals, which affect both the patients' and the personnel's general health, necessitating the adoption of control measures.

Introduction: Faculty and staff are the pillars of any university. Any impairment in the function of these elements would undoubtedly decrease the quality of education and training services provided. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between subjective workload and job satisfaction in faculty and staff members of universities of medical sciences and universities affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study recruited 164 faculty and staff members. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, NASA Task Load Index (NASA TLX), and the Job Description Index (JDI). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to analyze the data.

Findings: The participants’ workload had no significant effects on their job satisfaction. Faculty members generally had a heavier workload and lower level of job satisfaction compared to staff members. Moreover, faculty of universities of medical sciences had higher workload and lower levels of job satisfaction (14.5% vs. 30.76%) in comparison to faculty of universities affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology. Moreover, 14.5% of the medical faculty members and 30.76% of science faculty members were satisfied with their jobs. Overall, job satisfaction and workload were not significantly related with demographic characteristics and job features of the participants.

Conclusion: Among the various subscales of workload, faculty members reported high levels of subjective pressure, time pressure, and effort. Therefore, further studies are required to identify the causes of such pressures and introduce measures for their reduction or elimination.