To Explore Nurses Views And Experiences Of Their Wellbeing At Work In The Acute Sector
Background and Literature:
The aims of this study were to explore the ‘well being’ of nurses who currently worked within an acute setting. Existent research in the field had examined nurse well being within the National Health Service (NHS), however little had specifically focused on the acute sector. Nurse views were sought in order to identify factors which may impact upon their well being within their working environment. Through identification of influencing factors it was anticipated that these could be transferable to other settings to improve or sustain morale, or highlight areas for change within the area of study. Nurse ‘well being’ is becoming an increasing priority due to recent links with financial savings and improvements in patient outcomes. The importance of ‘staff well being’ is not an exclusively explored area within health; private sectors are prioritising the support of their staff due to the associated success from such initiates. With patient mortality rates reduced where hospitals have implemented health and well being programmes, the ultimate aim was to benefit patient care.
Methods:
Due to the nature of exploring views and experiences the qualitative paradigm was adopted as the theoretical basis. Using semi-structured interviews as the data collection method eight nurses were randomly recruited from one acute setting after giving informed consent. Ethical approval was sought from the University of study, adhering to strict guidelines such as informed consent, beneficence and non-maleficence. Tesch’s (1990) eight stages of data analysis provided a structure for analysing data and identifying prominent themes.
Findings and Discussion:
Six themes emerged from the analysis process. ‘Stress’ was the most prominent theme, having a four sub headed entity with titles including ‘feeling overwhelmed’, ‘frustration’, ‘unpredictability’ and ‘hopelessness and harm’. Whilst all these factors contributed to a negative experience of well being within the nurses’ workplace, conversely the succeeding theme was the nurses’ ability to ‘thrive at work’. This theme was apparent through interview participants’ passion for working in acute care. Exploration highlighted the daily struggles experienced by staff, yet their ability to thrive was what drove their commitment to care, withstanding extremes of stress and pressure. Other themes implicated the essential need for effective ‘team work’, managerial and colleague ‘support’, ‘appreciation and recognition’, and ‘the working environment’. With each of these successive themes participants explained that the impact of each theme could have negative or positive consequences dependent upon the success of their implementation. The findings demonstrated a workforce that was experiencing high levels of stress, with this being ameliorated by the positives of team work, support and a well equipped environment.
Conclusion and Recommendations:
Academic literature had identified ‘leadership’ as a central feature in sustaining nurse well being. In the department examined, whilst leadership was praised by all those interviewed for their supportive attitude, it demonstrated that this was not enough to ensure ‘well being’ was maintained for those in work. With research demonstrating the impact happier employees have on patient outcomes and financial results, attention is needed to support the current stress experienced by acute care staff. Recommendations would be to highlight the importance of effective support and team work within working departments, with future research exploring what sustains nurses’ ability to work within a highly stressful environment.