Evaluation of Occupational Stress amongst PG Residents and Practitioners of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in South Kerala
Geethu Philo Varghese, Ravi RajanAbstract
Objective:
To assess occupational stress amongst postgraduate residents and practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeons in South Kerala.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted amongst 56 oral and maxillofacial surgeons in South Kerala between January 2022 and October 2022. The validated questionnaire included demographic variables, professional practice characteristics, surgical stress factors and stress responses. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and Chi-square test, Student’s
Results:
The response rate was 32.3%. Amongst respondents, 50% were below 30 years, and 76.8% had <5 years of experience. Major stressors included excessive or insufficient workload (60.5%), uncooperative patients (57.2%) and pursuit of technical perfection during oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures (54.6%). Physical fatigue (63%) and anxiety (57.1%) were the most common stress responses.
Conclusion:
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons experience considerable occupational stress, mainly related to surgical procedures, workload and patient-related factors. Implementation of stress-management strategies is essential to improve surgeon well-being and clinical efficiency.