Creating Respectful Workplaces for Nurses in Regional Acute Care Settings: Protocol for a Sequential Explanatory...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Professionalism
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Negative workplace behaviors, including aggression and bullying, are persistent issues in nursing.
• These behaviors negatively impact nurses, healthcare organizations, and patient care.
• Multi-level interventions are needed to foster civility within the nursing profession.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nursing staff's self-reported exposure to and experiences of negative workplace behaviors.
• To examine nurses' coping mechanisms in regional acute care hospitals.
• To evaluate the impact of Respectful Workplace Workshops on negative workplace behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design with an embedded experimental component was used.
• Surveys and interviews were conducted with nursing staff in four regional hospitals before and after workshops.
• Workshops were implemented in two hospitals to raise awareness and promote respectful workplaces.

Main Results:

• The study will enhance understanding of negative workplace behaviors in the nursing social world.
• It will assess the effectiveness of Respectful Workplace Workshops.
• Integrated qualitative and quantitative findings will provide a dual perspective on workplace behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Evidence from this study is expected to inform nursing practice.
• Findings will guide future policy development for creating respectful workplaces.
• The research aims to improve the overall nursing work environment.