Sickness Presenteeism and Job Performance among Nurses at Tanta University Emergency Hospital

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing, Tanta University Emergency Hospital

2 Professor, Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University, Egypt

3 Lecturer, Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Sickness presenteeism is an emerging occupational health problem that affects 
nurses; however, it receives little attention despite its culmination, which leads to poor health 
and sickness absenteeism that consequently affect nurses’ job performance and productivity.
Aim: This study aimed to assess sickness presenteeism and job performance among nurses at 
Tanta University Emergency Hospital. Subjects and Method: Design: A descriptivecorrelational research design was used in the present study. Subjects: This study included 
256 nurses at various departments at Tanta University Emergency Hospital. Tools: Two tools 
were used to collect data: the first, entitled Sickness Presenteeism Structured Questionnaire, 
and the second, named Nurses’ Performance Observation Checklist. Results: The majority 
(84.0%) of the studied nurses experienced sickness presenteeism and two-thirds (65.2%) of 
them had a moderate level of overall perception of Stanford presenteeism. Moreover, about 
two thirds (64.8%) of nurses had a satisfactory overall score for job performance.
Conclusion: There was a significant negative statistical correlation between the overall score 
of nurses' job performance and their perception and predisposing factors of sickness 
presenteeism. Recommendations: It was recommended that hospital management develop 
policies and practices with clearer guidelines to avoid vagueness regarding what nursing 
professionals should do while sick, arrange workplace ergonomic elements that reduce the 
sickness presenteeism propensity, provide flexible scheduling that allows balance between 
work and family, monitor nurses’ job performance regularly, and provide frequent feedback.