What is nursing work? A meta-narrative review and integrated framework

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Sociology of Work
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Modern nursing faces significant strain, with existing support interventions failing to address the inherent complexity of nursing roles.
• Developing a contemporary model of nursing work is crucial for empowering nurses to devise practical solutions to professional challenges.
• A unified model can enhance cohesion across the diverse spectrum of nursing professions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the diverse ways researchers have understood nursing work through various methodologies and theoretical frameworks.
• To analyze the historical trajectory and conceptual evolution of nursing work research.

Main Methods:

• A meta-narrative review was conducted, examining research on nursing work from 1953 to the present.
• The review systematically followed stages of planning, searching, mapping, appraisal, and synthesis to evaluate research trends.

Main Results:

• The review included 121 articles, identifying five distinct narratives of nursing work conceptualized as labor: physical (14), emotional (53), cognitive (24), organizational (1), and combined (29).
• Identified research paradigms included positivist, interpretive, critical, and evidence-based approaches.
• A comprehensive model emerged, linking each article to a specific paradigm and labor narrative.

Conclusions:

• Nursing work is multifaceted, comprising physical, emotional, cognitive, and organizational labor, which may be undervalued or unrecognized.
• This model provides a framework for nurses to articulate their contributions and their impact on patient safety.
• The findings support advocacy for staffing models that comprehensively account for all dimensions of nursing labor.