Identification and Ranking of Stressors in Nuclear Medicine Technology

Abstract

This study was performed to identify the most significant stressors in the field of nuclear medicine technology. Sixty-three randomly selected nuclear medicine technologists responded to a questionnaire which asked them to assess the relative stressfulness of each of 35 items on a scale of “0 to 1000”. Data from 59 valid responses indicated that equipment malfunctions, add-on exams, uncooperative physicians, lack of staff, and uncooperative patients were the most significant stressors. Pooled variance t-tests indicated 14 significant mean differences between demographic subgroups within the composite instrument. Gender, Job title, and years of experience were areas of greatest difference. The reliability of the stressor ranking questionnaire, as determined by Cronbach’s alpha, was 0.87. Results of this study may be used by hospital administrators, supervisors, and technologists to identify stressors in the nuclear medicine department. Once identified, efforts can then be directed towards the management of these stressors.