STRESS LEVEL AND MENTAL WORKLOA ANALYSIS OF HOSPITAL NURSES WITH SMARTWATCH PHYSIOLOGICAL VALIDATION
Published:
2026-09-08Downloads
Abstract
Nurses working in critical care units face substantial mental workload and occupational stress, yet most prior studies rely on a single subjective or objective measurement approach. This study examined the mental workload and occupational stress of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency Department (IGD) nurses at RSUI Cawas Klaten, Indonesia, and validated subjective instruments against physiological indicators. Using a quantitative descriptive correlational design, data were collected from all 27 ICU and IGD nurses (total sampling) using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS), and an Apple Watch SE Generation 2 smartwatch recording Heart Rate (HR) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) across three phases: rest, work, and questionnaire completion. Results showed a High mental workload (mean Weighted Workload = 54.67) dominated by the Effort dimension, and an overall Low Stress level (mean ENSS = 1.95) that approached the Moderate Stress threshold, led by treatment uncertainty and patient/family related stressors. Pearson correlation revealed a significant positive relationship between ENSS and HRV during work (r = 0.630, p < 0.001) and between NASA-TLX and HR during work (r = 0.468, p = 0.014), whereas post work measurements showed no significant association. These findings confirm that HR and HRV recorded during active work, rather than after work, are valid physiological indicators for cross validating subjective workload and stress instruments among critical care nurses.
Keywords:
Occupational Safety and Health (K3) ergonomics Workload Analysis Mental HealthReferences
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Copyright (c) 2026 Khusni Nur Ikhsan Khotami, Bambang Suhardi, Rahmaniyah Dwi Astuti
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