Effect of occupational risks experienced by nurses during patient care on their anxiety levels(an example of Gumushane)

Objective: The object of this research is to determine the effect of occupational risks experienced by nurses working in Gümüşhane State Hospital during patient care on their anxiety levels. Method: The population of this cross-sectional and descriptive study is composed of nurses (136 nurses) working in Gümüşhane State Hospital. The whole population was included in the study and reached 108 people. The data of the study were collected under direct observation via a questionnaire consisting of questions about socio-demographic characteristics, risks and hazards arising from the work environment, and factors that are considered to affect Occupational Health and Safety practices, as well as the questions of Healthcare Professional Safety Scale (HPSS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Data were analyzed using t-test, one-way variance (ANOVA) analysis, regression and correlation analysis. Results: In the research, 86.9% of the nurses were female, whereas 13.1% of them were male, and the age average was 28.47±7.36. The score average of Healthcare Professional Safety Scale (HPSS) was 136.34, whereas the score average of Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was 18.90. Conclusion: There was found a negative, poor and statistically significant correlation between HPSS and BAI. Beck anxiety inventory score decreases as the score of the healthcare professional safety scale increases. It has been determined that the level of anxiety would decrease as the occupational health and safety behaviors in hospitals increase positively. Key Words: Hospital, Nurses, Employee health safety.