Organisational culture and ethnic diversity in nursing homes: a qualitative study of healthcare workers’ and ward nurses’ experiences

Abstract

Background The increase in care needs that comes with an ageing population, in combination with a shortage of healthcare workers, has made ethnic diversity among healthcare workers (HCW) an evident reality across many countries. This article aims to explore how a multicultural workplace is experienced, through the accounts of HCWs and leaders in nursing homes. Methods This article reports on the findings from qualitative interviews with 16 HCWs and managers from nursing homes in Oslo. The interviews were conducted from August to September 2021. We analysed the data using a reflective thematic analysis informed by a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach. Results Six themes emerged from the interview data: (1) understanding diversity through shared norms and multicultural experiences, (2) greater flexibility in a multicultural workforce, (3) challenging traditional norms in a multicultural workforce, (4) language proficiency and exclusionary practices at work, (5) perceptions of the role of the ward nurse, and (6) prejudices among and harassment from patients. Conclusions To ensure the effective organisation and wellbeing of HCWs in a multicultural workforce, managers must develop an inclusive organisational culture. They must be able to engage with difficult topics and conflicts that may arise in the working environment.

Health Provider Experiences in Supporting Social Connectedness Between Families and Older Adults Living in Long-Term Care Homes

“…Also missing from the data was demographic information on the race and ethnicity of participating health providers. Future studies can address this gap which will help inform strategies such as fostering an inclusive organizational culture ( Debesay et al, 2022 ). While efforts were made to ensure the rigor of the study processes and validity of the findings, engaging in a process of member checking could be done as a next step to both confirm the study findings and ensure that additional perspectives were not missed ( Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007 ).…”

Needs assessment in long-term care: expression of national principles for priority setting in service allocation

“…Variations in long-term care assessment and allocation of services occur across regions, municipalities, and city districts both in Norway and internationally [19,[35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. Explanations of variations in service allocation are variations among organisations, municipalities' economy, individual judgements, and the influence of resourceful and strong-willed relatives [17].…”

“…Short-term stays in nursing homes are provided to older adults who need health care at a higher level than home care for a shorter period [17], for example, as respite care, for observation to identify the level of care needed, or while waiting for a long-term placement. Additionally, short-term stays are used for preventive, treatment or rehabilitation purposes for older adults living at home [6,18].…”