Work stress and anxiety in health workers in the intensive care area

Introduction: The working conditions of workers in the intensive care area of the hospital in Riobamba during the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the presence of work stress and anxiety.Objective: To determine the relationship between work stress and anxiety in health workers in the intensive care area of the Riobamba Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Basic, non-experimental, cross-sectional and descriptive research with a universe of 45 workers. The third version of the Occupational Stress questionnaire designed by Villalobos in 2016 was used to identify the presence of occupational stress and the Hamilton scale to identify the presence and levels of anxiety. Pearson's non -parametric correlation test was used to determine the correlation between job stress and anxiety. The odds ratio test was used to identify the risk of anxiety secondary to the presence and intensity of work stress.Results: Prevalence of workers exposed to work stress (75.56%) and with anxiety (57.78%). The average level of work stress (41.18%) and low level of anxiety (50.0%) were the most representative in each case.Conclusion: A high percentage of workers in the intensive care area of the General Hospital in Riobamba with work stress and anxiety was identified. A strong positive correlation was identified between work stress and anxiety. The odds ratio test showed that the percentage of having anxiety triples if there is work stress.