Time Based Conflicts Towards Worklife and its Impact on Stress Among Doctors Working in Hospitals

Abstract

The paper explores how time-based conflicts affect the work-life balance (WLB) and stress levels of doctors in hospitals in Malappuram, India. The research aim is to discuss the phenomenon of incompatibility between professional responsibilities and personal life, which is caused by the lack of sleep, unusual working schedules, on-call assignments, and high patient volumes due to the stressful nature of medical practice. Both government and private hospitals were surveyed using a cross-sectional survey of doctors. The survey involved the use of structured questionnaires containing Likert scale items to collect information regarding demographic, sociographic, and work-related factors, time-based conflicts, WLB, and stress. The findings showed that time-related conflicts are common among physicians, and the absence of regular shifts, excessive working hours, and unforeseeable calls of duty are some of the factors leading to the lack of balance between work and family life. It was discovered that these conflicts are increasing the level of stress, which adversely affects the work of the professionals and their personal lives. The research proposes that temporal conflicts are one of the main sources of stress in physicians causing burnout, fatigue, and lack of life satisfaction. In order to address these conditions, the study suggests better job scheduling, support and ways of alleviating the burden of erratic working hours. Through resolving the problem of time conflicts, healthcare institutions can enhance health of doctors, job satisfaction, and eventually provide better quality care to patients. This paper advocates the significance of addressing the time related issues in health care institutions to enhance the welfare of physicians and healthcare provision in general.