Development and operation of a support programme for nursing service managers: Part 2

Area of Science:

• Nursing Management
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Nursing service managers face significant fatigue due to daily challenges.
• Existing support systems may not adequately address the unique stressors of nursing leadership.
• Understanding managers' perspectives is crucial for effective intervention development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a support programme tailored for nursing service managers experiencing fatigue.
• To address the everyday problems and challenges faced by nursing service managers.
• To evaluate the operationalization of the support programme.

Main Methods:

• A multiple case-study design was employed.
• A survey identified nursing service managers' daily problems.
• The support programme was implemented through two one-day workshops (English and Afrikaans speaking groups).
• Data collection involved observation, audiotape recordings, written documents, and field notes.
• Descriptive analysis and cross-validation were used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• The support programme was operationalized through workshops for both English and Afrikaans speaking nursing service managers.
• Descriptive analysis revealed commonalities and differences between the two workshop groups.
• Multiple data collection methods provided a comprehensive view of the programme's implementation.

Conclusions:

• The developed support programme provides a framework for addressing fatigue in nursing service managers.
• Tailored interventions, considering language and cultural contexts, are effective.
• Further research is recommended to refine and expand support strategies for healthcare leaders.