This study examined the levels of work stress and efficiency of nurses in tertiary health facilities in Southwest, Nigeria, and tested whether work stress and workload were significantly related to nurses’ efficiency. A descriptive survey design was adopted. From a population of 3,590 nurses in the six states of Southwest, Nigeria, a sample of 210 nurses was drawn from three tertiary health facilities using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were gathered with a validated, self-designed instrument, the Work Stress, Physiological Parameters and Efficiency Questionnaire (WSPPEQ), which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.78. Descriptive statistics (frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation) answered the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation tested the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that the level of work stress (68.1% moderate) and the level of efficiency (65.2% moderate) of the nurses were both moderate. Work stress was significantly and negatively related to efficiency (r = -0.246, p < 0.05), and workload was significantly and negatively related to efficiency (r = -0.557, p < 0.05), with workload showing the stronger association. The study concluded that rising work stress and, more strongly, rising workload depress the efficiency of nurses. It is recommended that stress-reduction strategies, adequate staffing and improved conditions of service be instituted to lower the workload of nurses and thereby raise their efficiency.
Keywords: Efficiency, Nurses, tertiary health facilities, work stress, workload
