Work stress among health care providers.

According to data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), nearly one in three employed Canadians, about 5.1 million, reported that most days at work were “quite” or “extremely” stressful. This article focuses on workers entrusted with providing health care to Canadians. Clearly, the wellbeing of this group of workers, which includes not only doctors and nurses, but also occupations such as ambulance attendants, technicians and therapists, is an important concern. The analysis compares levels of work stress—a factor that has been linked to poor physical and mental health and to occupational injury—among various types of health care providers.1,2 Associations between stress and selected job-related, socio-demographic and personal characteristics are also described.