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Summary
Hospital sisters experience significant work overload, leading to stress and negative health outcomes. Addressing these issues is crucial for improving the hospital working environment and staff well-being.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Studies
- Occupational Health Psychology
- Sociology of Health
Background:
- High wastage rates in nursing are linked to unfavorable working environments.
- Hospital sisters are in a key position to observe and experience ward problems.
- Recent drops in wastage may not indicate improved working conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causes of wastage among hospital sisters.
- To analyze the relationship between work overload and the hospital working environment from the sisters' perspective.
- To understand the impact of work overload on sisters' well-being and ward dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the role-set approach with hospital sisters as focal persons.
- Collected data from direct superiors, specialists, registered nurses, and student nurses (role-senders).
- Achieved high response rates: 100% for hospital sisters and 88% for role-senders across 30 Dutch hospitals.
Main Results:
- Work overload identified as a major stressor for hospital sisters.
- Significant correlations found between work overload and management tensions, job execution issues, irritability, low self-esteem, and health complaints.
- Excessive job involvement correlated with higher reported work overload.
- An unfavorable working environment is linked to increased irritability among sisters.
Conclusions:
- Work overload significantly contributes to stress and negative health outcomes for hospital sisters.
- The hospital working environment directly impacts sisters' well-being and behavior on the ward.
- Addressing work overload is essential for improving the working conditions and retention of hospital sisters.