Communication satisfaction of professional nurses working in public hospitals

Abstract

Communication satisfaction of professional nurses working in public hospitalsAim This study aimed to establish and describe the level of communication satisfaction that professional nurses experience in selected public hospitals in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Background The success of any organisation depends on the effectiveness of its communication systems and the interaction between staff members. Method Data were collected by means of questionnaires, based on the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), from a sample of 265 professional nurses from different categories, chosen using a disproportionate random stratified sampling method. Results The results indicated poor personal feedback between nurse managers (operational managers) and professional nurses, as well as dissatisfaction among nurse managers and professional nurses with regard to informal communication channels. A lack of information pertaining to policies, change, financial standing and achievements of hospitals was identified. Conclusion Nurse managers should play a leadership role in bringing staff of different departments together by creating interactive communication forums for the sharing of ideas. Implications for nursing management The results emphasise the need for nurse managers to improve communication satisfaction at all levels of the hospital services in order to enhance staff satisfaction and create a positive working environment for staff members.

Job satisfaction and related factors of nurses in university hospitals: Focusing on collaborative competency factors

“…Internal communication refers to communication that creates an atmosphere of respect for all employees within the organisation. Although it has been pointed out that JS is associated with informal communication (Morgan, Pullon, & McKinlay, ; Vermeir et al, ; Wagner, Bezuidenhout, & Roos, ), our findings suggested that informal ties with other professionals may have contributed in creating a good workplace atmosphere and improvements in nurses’ JS.…”

Specific stressors relate to nurses' job satisfaction, perceived quality of care, and turnover intention

“…According to Anderson (1981a, 1981b), there are several stressors in the workplace that induce stress to nurses. For instance, stress due to workload often arises from staffing decisions by nurse managers (Kerfoot, 2015), and conflicts with colleagues may be partly due to poor communication among staff nurses and superiors (Wagner, Bezuidenhout, & Roos, 2015). In general, most of these stressors can be in part linked to poor decisions made by the hospital's management.…”

“…In general, most of these stressors can be in part linked to poor decisions made by the hospital's management. For instance, stress due to workload often arises from staffing decisions by nurse managers (Kerfoot, 2015), and conflicts with colleagues may be partly due to poor communication among staff nurses and superiors (Wagner, Bezuidenhout, & Roos, 2015).…”

“…Although this study contributes additional knowledge regarding the impact of stressors on nurse outcomes, there are several limitations that should be recognized. Previous research shows that conflicts often arise and remain unresolved because of poor communication between staff nurses and their superiors(Wagner et al, 2015). Future works can expand the study by including respondents from both government and private hospitals.Moreover, since the study used cross-sectional data, it is unclear whether the findings will remain consistent after using longitudinal data.…”

“…First, it is crucial for nurse managers to have an open line of communication with their staff. Previous research shows that conflicts often arise and remain unresolved because of poor communication between staff nurses and their superiors(Wagner et al, 2015). For instance, stress due to conflict with nurses can be mitigated when there is an open line of communication between staff nurses and their superiors.Second, the results also reiterate the importance of addressing, if not resolving, workload issues.…”