Caring culture. A study of Swedish geriatric nursing personnel utilizing the Nurse Self-Description Form

This study is part of main investigation entitled 'The Efficiency of Care. The Importance of Work Environment and Climate', the purpose of which is an examination of the relationships between culture, climate and experiences of care providers and patients in different settings. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the perception care personnel had of themselves as reported on the Nurse Self-Description Form (NSFD). Olsson and Gullberg have added two items to the original 19-item form in the Swedish version. The research was conducted in all six wards of a geriatric hospital in Sweden, and the sample consisted of 67 head nurses, registered nurses, practical nurses and nursing assistants. It was assumed that a similar structure of factor dimensions would appear as in previous studies with the NSFD. The resulting three-factor Varimax solution explained 63% of the variation. A different factor content emerged, however, which required factor names to be provisionally renamed Intuitive-Resourceful Nurse, Ambitious-Knowledgeable Nurse, and Reliable-Considerate Nurse.