Abstract

Background: Nurses’ working environments, especially operating rooms are stressful environments due to their undesirable factors and conditions. The present study was conducted to determine sources of occupational stress among operating room nurses of hospitals affiliated to universities of medical sciences in Kerman, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the operating rooms of hospitals affiliated to universities of medical sciences, in Kerman. The sample population consisted of 250 operating room nurses with at least 1 year of work experience. The subjects were selected using randomized cluster sampling. Data were collected using a socio-demographic data form and the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS). The collected data were analyzed using independent t-test, Pearson correlation, and ANOVA in SPSS software. Results: Operating room nurses rated situations of the “death and dying” subscale as the most stressful, whereas situations of “discrimination” were described as less stressful. Uncertainty concerning treatment was significantly affected by gender; women had higher scores in this subscale (P = 0.019). Moreover, general operating room nurses (vs. specialized) had significantly higher mean scores regarding the perception of the stressfulness of “inadequate preparation”, “conflict with physicians”, and “discrimination” subscales (P < 0.50). Conclusions: The situations of the death and dying subscale were the most important stressors from the viewpoint of operating room nurses. Due to nurses’ constant observation of patients’ pain and suffering, preparing them for coping with such stressors is necessary through education and organizational/familial supports.