POST COVID STRESS EXPERIENCES AMONG RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGISTS OF A

GOVERNMENT TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN ZAMBOANGA CITY

A Research Output

Presented to

the Faculty of the College of Nursing of

ATENEO DE ZAMBOANGA UNIVERSITY

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

MASTER OF ARTS IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

NUR-AIZA S. ABDULHAKIM

SURHANA S. ABDULHAKIM

August 17, 2022

 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Everyone's mental health was severely impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic, but
prominently on those who had to care for those who had the sickness. A department of 30
radiologists handling 170 to 200 patients per day and providing treatments like x-ray, CT-scan,
and MRI cannot possibly be safe for these mental difficulties.
Despite growing vaccination rates, COVID-19 infection rates have fallen after more than
a year. The circumstance is starting to alter. Workers around the world report feeling nervous
and disengaged, according to a survey that shows workplace happiness and well-being have
plateaued after over a decade of growth. According to Gallup's annual State of the Global
Workplace report in 2018, approximately 60% of workers felt emotionally distant from their
professions and almost a fifth of workers stated their time at work was miserable. In addition to
COVID-19, other factors include putting in excessive hours and having a bad job. In a study by
Qureshi that was released in June 2020, it was found that 40.9% of respondents had at least one
negative mental or behavioral health condition, including signs of an anxiety or depressive
disorder (30.9%), signs of a pandemic-related TSRD (26.3%), and beginning or increasing
substance use (13.3%) to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. Stress is therefore
more likely to occur in some circumstances than others and in some people than others. Goal-
achieving can be hampered by stress, for both individuals and organizations. In order for
radiologic technologists to be effective and efficient in their field of work, the researchers
undertook this study to assess the stress levels of these professionals following the COVID
pandemic.

Review of Literature

According to a study by Giles (2020), as the epidemic has advanced, efforts have been
undertaken to provide support for people working in high-risk environments and to promote the
mental health and resilience of all front-line vital employees (such as health care professionals
and police). Workers in hospitals and other institutions that provide communal care, such nursing
homes, have received the most of the attention until this point. The effect of COVID-19 on
caregivers for persons with intellectual disabilities, many of whom reside in group homes or
other assisted accommodations, has received relatively little attention. Four nations have so far
shared information about this particular workforce throughout the pandemic. (Warren &
Giles, 2020).
 And based on a study by Sokorin (2020), during the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2
infection, health-care systems have faced a critical overload of their resources. Other problems
include the high risks for medical personnel's lives and constant feelings of real threat. Previous
outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS, 2003) caused a number of adverse
psychological reactions among health-care workers The COVID-19 pandemic can also lead to an
increase in stigma because it is a novel unknown infection. Medical workers' stigmatizing
attitudes toward patients could be the major obstacle to communication and adequate assistance.
(Sokorin, 2020)
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented unprecedented
challenges to the global health care system, exposing significant shortcomings in this country's
readiness for epidemics, according to Restauri and his companions (2020). People have been
forced to make significant lifestyle changes in an effort to "flatten the curve" and practice social
isolation in order to give an overburdened healthcare system time to react to the novel
coronavirus. This situation in healthcare is so serious that the COVID-19 epidemic has forced
people to speak in terms of war. While military-style temporary hospitals are being built, there is
discussion about physician redeployment to the frontlines and sophisticated data track daily
casualties. The impact of the virus on our culture has been equated by CNN to that of World War
II. Radiologists must adjust to the many difficulties brought on by the pandemic in their personal
lives. They must also manage the strains associated with caring for COVID-19 patients and
working in a health care system with scarce resources, all the while evaluating the rapidly
advancing body of knowledge regarding the containment and treatment of the COVID-19 illness.
In a health care system where physician burnout, a reaction to workplace stress, is already
widespread, this pandemic has exacerbated stressors. To reduce the effects of high baseline
physician burnout and the immediate stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic, individual physicians
and hospital administration should take proactive measures.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on radiologists are relevant to the context and
definition of what constitutes a traumatic event, despite the fact that posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) is frequently linked to active military conflict. This article provides an evidence-based
review and recommendations for systems-based interventions that may lessen physicians' stress,
ensuring a stable and healthy radiology workforce. It also presents a conceptual paradigm for
understanding the relationship between burnout, acute stress disorder, and PTSD. (Restauri et al,
2020)
According to the aforementioned studies, it is extremely difficult for medical
professionals to deal with COVID-19-related stress, but a study by Moreno and his colleagues
(2020) found that there are coping mechanisms that have been identified, including optimism,
social support, staying current, avoiding information overload, and maintaining online
communication. Increasing the perception of control over the challenging situation is a critical
component of resilience promotion in healthcare professionals. Some of the techniques that have
been used in this pandemic include, for instance, believing that disease prevention measures can
be controlled or restricting the potential of protecting oneself with the resources that healthcare
providers have available to them to treat infected individuals. Nurses who have demonstrated
greater levels of confidence in infection protection and control tools have displayed lower levels
of worry, a bad attitude, and emotional exhaustion in similar life-or-death situations, such as the
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak. High-resilience people are less irritable,
less sensitive to environmental cues, have better interpersonal connections, experience fewer
headaches and musculoskeletal difficulties, and have lower levels of depression. Burnout may
result if these symptoms last for an extended period of time and contribute to an increased sense
of helplessness and uncertainty at work. Work is a factor in this syndrome. High degrees of
depersonalization, low levels of personal success, and high levels of emotional tiredness are its
defining traits. It's possible for the person to have dysphoric symptoms including emotional or
physical weariness. In those who had not previously displayed psychosocial changes, the
symptoms start to show up in connection with work settings. Additionally, burnout is linked to
decreased work performance as a result of unfavorable work practices. Burnout has been found,
along with a decline in the ability to use coping mechanisms or unfavorable attitudes toward
work, in particular in health workers exposed to traumatic situations during this pandemic.
Burnout can result in the intention to leave the position, which would incur large costs, in
addition to the feelings of weariness connected to worry, sadness, or other symptoms related to
physical illnesses. (Moreno et. al, 2020)

Synthesis

According to a study by Giles (2020), as the epidemic has advanced, efforts have been
undertaken to provide support for people working in high-risk environments and to promote the
mental health and resilience of all front-line vital employees (such as health care professionals
and police). And based on a study by Sokorin (2020), during the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2
infection, health-care systems have faced a critical overload of their resources. Other problems
include the high risks for medical personnel's lives and constant feelings of real threat. People
have been forced to make significant lifestyle changes in an effort to "flatten the curve" and
practice social isolation in order to give an overburdened healthcare system time to react to the
novel coronavirus. This situation in healthcare is so serious that the COVID-19 epidemic has
forced people to speak in terms of war. Burnout may result if these symptoms last for an
extended period of time and contribute to an increased sense of helplessness and uncertainty at
work. It's possible for the person to have dysphoric symptoms including emotional or physical
weariness.
Statement of the Problem

This study tries to determine the post-covid stress experiences among radiologic
technologists of a government tertiary hospital in Zamboanga city. Specifically, this study aims
to answer the following questions:

1. What are the factors affecting stress experience by Radiologic Technologist of

Zamboanga City Medical Center?

2. What level of stress experienced among Radiologic Technologists of Zamboanga

Medical Center?

3. What program or training will be implemented based on the findings?

Conceptual Framework
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1. Level of stress Analysis of quantitative and Training Program for Radiologic

among qualitative data through: Technologists
Radiologic
Technologist in a
A. Descriptive statistical
government
analysis,
tertiary hospital
in Zamboanga B. Thematic analysis.
City post
pandemic.

2. Factors affecting
stress among
Radiologic
Technologist in a
government
tertiary hospital
in Zamboanga
City post
pandemic
Figure I. Conceptual Framework of the study

1. This is a conceptual framework with a schematic diagram showing the

relationship between the independent variables (Level of stress among Radiologic
Technologist in a government tertiary hospital in Zamboanga City post pandemic, and
Factors affecting stress among Radiologic Technologist in a government tertiary hospital
in Zamboanga City post pandemic) that will undergo through the process of analyzation
(descriptive statistical analysis and thematic analysis) which will be used to create the
Output (Training Program for Radiologic Technologists).

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

Only the radiologic technologists employed by the Zamboanga City Medical Center will
be the subject of this investigation. This study intends to assist radiologic technologists in
identifying their level of stress so they can control it and remain effective in their field of work.
Therefore, this study primarily focused on getting their perspectives on the stress they are feeling
at a particular workplace. The Zamboanga City Medical Center's Radiological Sciences
Department will host this study in Zamboanga City, Catalina. Only radiologic technologists who
are registered were chosen as responses.

Significance of the Study

In order for radiologic technologists to be effective and efficient in their line of work, this
study will be conducted to help them manage their stress. The following sectors all gain from the
study:

1. The Radiologic Technologists - The radiologic technologists at the Zamboanga City

Medical Center are the primary users of the research's results. to aid in their awareness of
and management of stress for their health.

2. Hospital Administration - The study will aid the administration of the Zamboanga City
Medical Center in helping their staff members manage stress to improve their
performance while carrying out their various jobs.
 3. Other Medical-related Workers – This study will be able to give them insights to the
same struggles they are facing as stated in this study. In this study also, they will be able
to, if not precise, understand what are contributes to the factors of their work related
stress.

Definition of Terms
For the purpose of clarification, the important terms used in the study have been defined.
The following terms are:

Radiologic Technologists - refer to those health professionals employed in the Radiologic

Technologists department of the government tertiary hospital. Radiologic technologists are the
health care professionals who perform diagnostic imaging procedures, such as X-ray
examinations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and computed tomography (CT) scans.
Some of them specialize in specific techniques such as cardiovascular-interventional
radiography, mammography or sonography.

Stress Experiences- Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any
event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous.

Burnout – A reaction to the work related stress of the radiologic technologist department of
government tertiary hospital.

Well-being - A positive outcome that is meaningful for people and for many sectors of society,
because it tells us that people perceive that their lives are going well. In this study, the well-being
of Radiologic Technologists of a government tertiary hospital in Zamboanga city is being
assessed.

Post Covid Pandemic - This evolutionary phase concerns the period emerging after the COVID-
19 crisis, which leads the global socioeconomic system and the various actors at all levels
(macro-meso-micro), respectively, to irreversible transformations, laying the ground for the
appearance of an entirely new form of globalization.
 Methodology

Research Design

The study will employ descriptive research design utilizing quantitative and qualitative
approach. It will employ descriptive research design since it aims to determine the stress level
and factors affecting among Radiologic Technologists of a government tertiary hospital in
Zamboanga city. According to Duvovsky (2001), descriptive research may be characterised as
simply the attempt to determine, describe or identify what is, while analytical research attempts
to establish why it is that way or how it came to be. To determine the level of stress, the
researchers will utilize a questionnaire to gather quantitative date from the respondents.
Quantitative approach of data collection, which according to Badhari (2020) is the process of
collecting and analyzing numerical data. It can be used to find patterns and averages, make
predictions, test causal relationships, and generalize results to wider populations. Qualitative
approach will likewise be utilized since the researchers plan to conduct either a focused group
discussion or a one-on-one interview with the participants to obtain answers for the factors
affecting stress. Qualitative research is defined according to Aspers (2019) is multimethod in
focus, involving an interpretative, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that
qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or
interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them.

SETTING

This research study was conducted at Radiologic Sciences Departmentof a government

tertiary hospital in Zamboanga City, Philippines.

The Tertiary Level Government hospitals in the Philippines with specialty care services
located at the heart of the Zamboanga City. ZCMC is located in a 3.75-hectare lot in Dr. D.
Evangelista St., Sta. Catalina Road, Zamboanga City. It serves as a referral hospital for the
residents of 98 barangays with a total population of 723,611 and an annual growth rate of 2.55%.
In addition, the hospital facilities provide health care to the residents of other nearby towns and
provinces such as Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay.
POPULATION AND SAMPLING

The radiologic technologists at a government tertiary hospital in Zamboanga City,

Philippines, were the study's responders. The respondents were registered and certified
radiologic technologists with the department of radiologic sciences. The research will have a
sample size of thirty (30) because there are only thirty (30) radiologic technologists at
Zamboanga City Medical Center. The respondents to the study will complete the survey-
questionnaire checklist that the researchers have created.

Table 1 will present the sample size of the respondents based on position.

Position Number of Radiologic Technologist

Job-Order Radiologic Technologists 7

Radiologic Technologists I 3

Radiologic Technologists II 15

Radiologic Technologists III 4

Radiologic Technologists IV 1

TOTAL 30

DATA GATHERING TOOLS

The draft of the questionnaire was drawn out based on the researcher’s readings, previous
studies, and professional literature of the instrument, published and unpublished thesis relevant
to the study. Informed consent was attached to the survey questionnaire. 30 respondents will
handed out the forms, to which they filled out, enabling this study to get the necessary data.
Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) will be employed in this study as the data gathering tool.
DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

Making the request letter is the initial step before beginning the actual testing. The
request letter is retrieved by the researchers after approval. In order to avoid being distracted by
class discussions, the researcher used the time designated for empty to conduct the questionnaire.
Enough time was given for the respondents to respond to the inquiries. After gathering the data,
the researcher collected it in order to add up the scores and apply the statistical analysis for the
study.

DATA ANALYSIS PLAN

This research methodology involves obtaining primary data through interview. The
proposed sample size is 30 Radiologic Technologists who will be asked a total of 10 questions
related to the study. All of the questions are qualitative in nature. However, the qualitative
questions will be close ended that will be entered in a spreadsheet. A descriptive statistic will be
conducted. Descriptive statistics will be obtained in the form of mean or average score. Cross
tabulation will also be carried out to investigate the relationship between the different profiling.
The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a classic stress assessment instrument. The tool, while
originally developed in 1983, remains a popular choice for helping us understand how different
situations affect our feelings and our perceived stress.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

The protection of the respondent's human rights, as well as their privacy and well-being,
will be discussed throughout the study. Respect for the dignity of research participants should be
emphasized, and written, informed consent from the radiologic technologists will be requested at
the beginning of the study. The confidentiality of research data will be upheld, as well as the
privacy of study participants.

This can help the radiologic technologists at Zamboanga City Medical Center become
more aware of any potential stress they may be under, along with proper design methods and
more research. Any research conducted for this reason must take ethics into account. Conflict
resolution, appropriate reactions, and beneficence are some of them. The four ethical principles
of informed consent, risk-benefit analysis, fair selection, and adequate consultation are linked to
four actions that protect these rights.
STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF DATA

The chosen statistical treatment for this quantitative study used the frequency

distribution, standard deviation, mean, and t-test (one-tailed).

1. 4 point Perceived Stress Scale – This will be used as it is considered as a universal

method of collecting data, which means it is easy to understand them. Another fact is it is

the best method in gathering data as it is suited for simple variable analyzation that

simplifies working with quantitative data; it is easy to draw conclusions, reports, results

and graphs from the responses.

2. Mode – The mode is the value that appears most often in a set of data values. With all

inferential statistics, we assume the dependent variable fits a normal distribution. And

since we used the 4-point Perceived Stress scale to acquire data, we cannot use the mean

as a measure of central tendency as it has no meaning. The most appropriate measure of a

set of data from a Perceived Stress scale is the mode which is the most frequent

responses. It is only after data is collected then we calculate the Rosenberg scoring

system to determine the self-esteem levels in the effects of the online learning model on

the students of the college of education of HMIJ.