Staff well-being in high-risk operating room environment: Definition, facilitators, stressors, leadership, and team-working—A case-study from a large teaching hospital

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this case-study is to critically evaluate the relationship between healthcare staff well-being and effective team-working in high-risk operating rooms (OR) environment. Background: Evidence suggests that positive staff well-being is associated with better patient care. However, healthcare organisations are lagging behind in prioritising staff well-being. It is acknowledged that delivery of multi-disciplinary care is proportional to effective team-working. The input-process-output (IPO) model theorises the relationship between staff well-being and effective team-working; however, the model's applicability has not been studied in high-risk OR environment. Methodology: Qualitative data were gathered, through semi-structured interviews, from OR nurses working in a large teaching hospital and content analysis was used to identify themes in the written responses. Findings: Five main themes emerged from the data; (i) participants linked well-being with happiness, job satisfaction, and being valued and recognised, (ii) participants held that unscrupulous organisational culture rears negative well-being, (iii) participants strongly argued that healthcare organisation must invest in staff well-being otherwise patient care will suffer, (iv) effective leadership is key to positive well-being and bad leadership behaviours are responsible for negative well-being and low-morale and (v) participants unanimously agreed that well-being drives effective team-working and not the converse. Value: The case-study identifies emotional well-being a key driver for effective team-working and ascertains that strong organisational support and compassionate leadership are critical to nurturing staff well-being. It challenges the widely held IPO model's notion that effective team-working promotes well-being in high-risk OR environment. Implications for nursing management: Case-study invites nurse managers to re-evaluate widely used three-staged (IPO) system approach towards creating an effective team-working in high-risk OR environment. ARTICLE HISTORY

Newly trained operating room nurses’ experiences of nursing care in the operating room

“…It would prepare them to face the transition from past work to the OR confidently (24). Ahmed found that ORNs thought that healthcare organisations need to take an active part in ensuring the well-being of the staff, or patient care and efficient teamwork will suffer (39). Callaghan pointed out that in the dynamic nursing care of today, strength lies with specialist nurses.…”

Creating a Periop 202 Course and Orientation Program for Open‐Heart Procedures to Increase Cardiovascular OR Nurse Recruitment and Retention

“…Three significant factors that can cause OR staffing shortages are: an aging population of OR nurses, little to no exposure to the perioperative clinical setting in the undergraduate nursing curriculum, and a complicated and intimidating surgical environment 6 . A case study found that the OR environment affected staff member well‐being, happiness, and job satisfaction; and a supportive and positive organizational culture, leader involvement, effective team relationships, and recognition of staff members had a direct positive influence on OR nurse retention 12 …”

Influencing Well‐Being in Perioperative Nursing: The Role of Leaders

“…5(p9) In other words, well-being is an essential element of a positive practice environment. 5,6 When nurses suffer, the consequences are far reaching. A 2018 national study found a strong positive association between nurses' health and medical errors.…”

“…Unless our health care team members are functioning in a state of well‐being, it is difficult to imagine making the kind of environmental transformation that is necessary to carry us into the future. Importantly, in a case study of staff well‐being in the high‐risk OR environment, OR nurses believed that well‐being at work “underpins and drives effective team‐working and not the converse.” 5 (p9) In other words, well‐being is an essential element of a positive practice environment 5,6 …”