Assessment of Workplace Burden on Nursing Staff Well-being at Intensive Care Unit

Background: In recent years, employee well-being has emerged as a critical factor influencing workplace efficiency and productivity. Physically and mentally healthy employees tend to be more productive and are better equipped to provide high-quality services. Objective: To evaluate the impact of workplace burden on the health of nursing professionals working in intensive care units (ICUs). Method: This research was conducted in four hospitals in Al-Nasiriyah city, southern Iraq, from October 2024 to January 2025 using a cross-sectional study design. The study population consisted of 127 ICU nurses currently employed at the selected hospitals. A purposive sampling technique was employed. Data were collected using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaire. Results: Out of 127 nurses, 70 were male (55.1%), with the majority aged 39-49 years (33.9%).  Approximately 33.1% reported experiencing frequent physical health impacts from their workplace, and 48% reported regular psychological effects. Factor analysis showed strong symptom loadings (extraction values > 0.600) across physical (e.g., fatigue, back pain) and psychological (e.g., panic, low self-worth) domains (P-value = 0.001). Age and education level significantly predicted physical burden (P-values = 0.001 and 0.018, respectively), while sex, experience, and patient loss were not (P-value > 0.05). Age was the only significant predictor of psychological burden (P-value = 0.001). Conclusion: The findings underscore the significant challenges faced by ICU nurses, including physical strain, emotional exhaustion, and burnout, all of which can profoundly affect their overall health and well-being. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach that integrates both individual-level and organizational-level interventions.