Nurses' well-being in a primary nursing care setting in The Netherlands

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Primary Nursing is a model of care delivery aiming to improve patient outcomes and nursing practice.
• Assessing the impact of Primary Nursing on nursing staff well-being is crucial for healthcare organizations.
• Previous studies have shown mixed results regarding the effectiveness of Primary Nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of implementing a Dutch adaptation of Primary Nursing on nurses' well-being.
• To examine changes in job satisfaction, experienced job significance, health complaints, and absenteeism.
• To provide insights into the factors influencing the success or failure of Primary Nursing implementation.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study design was employed in a Dutch hospital.
• Three measurement periods were used: pre-intervention (t1), and two post-intervention (t2 and t3).
• Nurses' well-being was assessed using questionnaires measuring job satisfaction, job significance, health complaints, and absenteeism.

Main Results:

• Most anticipated positive effects of Primary Nursing on nurses' well-being were not observed.
• No significant improvements in job satisfaction or experienced job significance were found.
• There was no significant reduction in health complaints or absenteeism following implementation.

Conclusions:

• The Dutch adaptation of Primary Nursing, as implemented, did not yield the expected improvements in nurses' well-being.
• Methodological and practical factors may explain the limited impact of the intervention.
• Further research is needed to understand optimal implementation strategies for Primary Nursing in different healthcare contexts.