Menopausal symptoms and work productivity loss among nurses in a hospital in Bangkok

Abstract

Menopause is an inevitable phase in women’s lives, often affecting daily routines and professional roles. This study examines the association of menopausal symptoms and work productivity loss among nurses in one of hospitals in Bangkok. This census-based, cross-sectional study examined nurses aged 45-60. Questionnaires were used to collect the Menopausal symptoms using the Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS), categorized into no/little, mild, moderate, and severe symptoms, While work productivity loss was measured using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment: General Health (WPAI:GH) questionnaire. Multiple logistic regressions analyzed factors linked to menopausal symptoms, Multiple linear regressions assessed their relationship to work productivity loss. A total of 182 responses were collected. The overall prevalence of menopausal symptoms among nurses in this study was 74.2%. In terms of severity, the frequencies and percentages for no/little, mild, moderate, and severe symptoms were 25.8%, 20.9%, 35.7%, and 17.6%, respectively. The top three symptoms reported were muscle/joint discomfort, physical and mental exhaustion, and sleep problems. Alcohol use was found to be significantly associated with menopausal symptoms, aOR 3.65 (95% CI 1.03-12.94). The means and standard deviations for percentages of absenteeism, presenteeism, and overall work impairment were 1.13 (6.99), 28.52 (20.18), and 29.00 (20.85), respectively. Severe menopausal symptoms were significantly associated with percent presenteeism and overall work impairment, with adjusted mean differences of 20.84 percentage point (pp) (95% CI 11.10-30.59) and 20.49 pp (95% CI 10.39-30.58), compared to no/little symptoms. The associations of menopausal symptoms and work productivity loss, presenteeism and overall work impairment, found in this study were consistent with prior studies. Mean differences in percentage of presenteeism and overall work impairment increased with symptom severity; however, the results were not statistically significant. Findings in this study suggest that nurses with severe symptoms should be identified, supported, and provided with appropriate interventions or treatments to prevent costs from health-related productivity loss. And early retirement increase work productivity and hospital quality service in the future.