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Hospital restructuring and the work of registered nurses
1Samuel Merritt College, Oakland, California, USA.
The Milbank Quarterly
|April 5, 2001
Summary
Hospital restructuring significantly impacts registered nurses' (RNs) work roles, workload, and control. These changes affect job satisfaction and potentially patient care quality.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Nursing Studies
- Organizational Behavior
Background:
- American hospitals have experienced three major waves of organizational restructuring over the past two decades.
- These changes have directly influenced the work environment and roles of registered nurses (RNs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on how hospital restructuring affects key characteristics of nursing work.
- To examine the impact on RNs' work roles, workload, and control over their work.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature review was conducted.
- The review focused on identifying the effects of hospital restructuring on three core aspects of nursing work.
Main Results:
- Restructuring influences nurses' work roles, increases workload, and diminishes control over their practice.
- These changes are linked to decreased job satisfaction among registered nurses.
Conclusions:
- Hospital restructuring significantly affects registered nurses' job satisfaction and may compromise patient care quality.
- Beyond staffing levels, changes in the nature of nursing work itself are critical to consider in policy debates.