The impact of a staff support group on the work environment of a specialty unit

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a staff support group led by a psychiatric liaison nurse on the work environment of a specialty unit. Before and at the completion of a series of 12 group meetings, participants completed two forms (real and ideal) of the Work Environment Scale (WES) that elicited their perceptions of the unit's work environment and their preferences for an ideal work environment. Initial findings were used to guide the content and process of the group intervention. Subjects real and ideal scores, as well as real-ideal discrepancies before and after intervention were compared using t tests. Statistically significant changes were found on the dimensions of clarity and control. Clinical observations showed a decrease in staff conflict and improvement in interpersonal communication.