Nurses’ experience with presenteeism and the potential consequences on patient safety: a qualitative study among nurses at out-of-hours emergency primary care facilities

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study aimed to gain new insight and knowledge on out-of-hours emergency primary care nurses’ experience of presenteeism in their workplace and their outlook on the impact they recognised the phenomenon to have on patient safety when caring for acute patients.DesignAn explorative qualitative study.SettingThe study was conducted at three out-of-hours primary care facilities in southwest Norway.ParticipantsA total of 10 female nurses were recruited as interviewees. Nurses providing direct patient care were included in the study.ResultsThe analysis resulted in four major themes: strong work ethics influence the decision to attend work unwell; work environment factors have a negative impact on nurses’ health; nurses’ awareness of consequences on the quality of care and patient safety and nurses make use of coping strategies when engaging in presenteeism.ConclusionPresenteeism is a common experience among nurses at out-of-hours emergency primary care clinics, with work-related stress being a significant contributing factor. Despite recognising a decrease in performance while engaging in presenteeism, nurses displayed adaptive behaviour. They were confident that their suboptimal health issues did not significantly impact patient safety while caring for acute patients. However, the true impact of presenteeism on patient safety in an out-of-hours emergency care setting remains uncertain due to the reliance on subjective reporting systems as quality indicators. More research is needed to understand the phenomenon and its implications on patient safety fully.

Association Between Suboptimal Health Status and Health-Related Productivity Loss in Primary Healthcare Workers in China: a Cross-Sectional Survey

“… 29 , 30 Although it is shown in a qualitative study in Norway that nurses were confident that their suboptimal health issues did not significantly impact patient safety despite recognizing decrease in performance, such a statement was lacking in objective and quantitative evidence. 31 Literature review shows that studies on the association between the SHS and HRPL are rare. In the context of the current study, we aimed to assess the association between the SHS and HRPL of PHCWs through an empirical survey in primary healthcare institutions in China.…”