Health care workers face risks of exposure to psychosocial hazards during their provision of patient care. This is a global phenomenon that requires measures to protect them against adverse psychosocial conditions. However, there is a dearth of information on these hazards among health care workers in South African public hospitals.

The study reported here is part of a larger investigation which used a quantitative cross-sectional survey to investigate on a large scale the occupational hazards experienced by926 nurses at 8 public hospitals in the Tshwane healthcare district.

Above 40% of health care workers experienced increased workload. Findings on participantsʼ experiences regarding long working hours, insufficient rest, poorly structured shifts and poor managerial practices are stated. Violence against nurses was perpetrated by patients, patientsʼ relatives and colleagues. Developed guidelines are recommended to enhance good work practices and psychosocial well-being.

Keywords: Health care worker, psychosocial hazards, public hospitals.

Biography:
Dr Odilia MM Sehume obtained her PhD from the University of South Africa in June 2017, where she also obtained an Honours degree in Industrial Psychology in 2000. She developed a passion for the well-being of health care workers, and developed guidelines (unpublished) for their occupational well-being, from her PhD. From 1998 to 2008 she worked in the corporate sector as a health trainer, and resumed her lecturing duties at a Nursing College in 2008. In 2013, she assumed full-time employment at the Vaal University of Technology, and now serves as a Nursing Programme Coordinator for under- and post-graduates.