Sickness Rates Higher Among Nursing Staff than Other Fields' Workers
Care Providers Experience Illness More Frequently Than Workers in Other Departments - Healthcare Workers: Nurses Suffer Illnesses at Higher Rates Compared to Professionals in Other Sectors
Take a seat, let's dive in
The daily grind on nursing staff, as revealed by studies from the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, comes with a hefty price—a relatively high sickness rate compared to workers in other sectors. Last year, nursing employees in the northeast were away an average of 32.6 days due to illness, surpassing the national average of 28.5 days.
Manon Austenat-Wied, TK regional director, shed light on this: "Nursing staff continue to take more sick days than their counterparts in other professions." TK's analysis of sickness data from their insured members across all occupations reveals an average absence rate of 24.6 days last year.
"A typical day for a nursing professional in our country takes a toll on their own health," Austenat-Wied pointed out. She emphasized the importance of nursing facilities cultivating a health-promoting, supportive work environment to make the profession more appealing. "Care workers are precious gems in our aging society," she stressed while commending existing health promotion programs.
A study by Austenat-Wied evaluated work incapacity certificates from approximately 103,000 insured TK members in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, making TK one of the largest health insurance providers in the region.
A nursing staff shortage exists
According to the Ministry of Health, around 21,000 nursing professionals work in over 1,000 long-term care facilities and services in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, caring for over 120,000 individuals in need of care, a number that's on the rise.
The "Pact for Nursing" initiative, launched in fall 2023, is focused on retaining skilled professionals and ensuring nursing services in rural areas. In the past, nursing facilities had to close due to staff shortages.
NursingNurseTK (Techniker Krankenkasse)TKKMecklenburg-VorpommernFieldSchwerin
Factors Leading to Higher Sickness Rates in Care Workers
- Intense Physical and Emotional Demands: Care work requires both physically taxing tasks and emotionally stressful interactions, contributing to fatigue and burnout, increasing the chances of health issues and sick leaves.
- Exposure to Infections: Care workers are often subjected to infectious diseases, leading to illnesses such as respiratory infections and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, even long-term conditions like Long-Covid.
- Adverse Work Environment and Shift Patterns: Unpredictable shift patterns, long working hours, and minimal breaks can further contribute to health issues among care workers.
- Inadequate Support and Resources: Inadequate staffing, insufficient training, and limited access to resources intensify stress and increase the risk of illness.
- Pandemic Impact: The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vulnerability of healthcare workers to illness, highlighting the need for adequate protective measures and support systems.
- In light of the higher sickness rates among nursing staff compared to workers in other sectors, it could be beneficial to implement community policies that prioritize workplace-wellness, ensuring vocational training programs for nurses to maintain their physical and mental health, as well as providing them with resources for fitness-and-exercise and nutrition.
- The intensity of physical and emotional demands in care work, paired with exposure to infections and adverse work environments, directly contributes to the higher sickness rates among nursing professionals. Consequently, it's crucial to enhance their health-and-wellness, integrating appropriate measures such as comprehensive vocational training in wellness and stress management.
- To combat the rising sickness rates and nursing staff shortage in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, initiatives like the "Pact for Nursing" could focus on vocational training and mental-health support, thus promoting a healthier workforce that can deal with the demands of the job more effectively.
