Work Environment, Skills Utilization and Health of Swedish Nurses – Results from a National Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Nurses make up a considerable proportion of the Swedish health care staff. Few nationally representative studies of their work environment and health, however, have been published. The present questionnaire study on work conditions, skill utilization, health and well-being of a national representative sample of 3,500 Swedish nurses, indicates a high degree of job satisfaction. Despite high satisfaction, 40% of the respondents felt too tired after work to socialize with family and 45% had seriously considered quitting their jobs. Factors such as improved work climate and development of supervisory skills were suggested as psychosocial interventions. Improvement in physical work environment factors had low priority. Medical care nurses perceive a higher work load and higher job demands in relation to decision latitude, and geriatric nurses report less work development. No differences between disciplines were found in work relations. In conclusion, there is a need to further develop skills development and utilization and work organization. Results will be used in interventions to enhance the work environment for nurses.

Influence of Work Place Stress on Well-being of Nursing Staff

“…Work stress particularly in the nursing profession has become a major problem in recent years: hospital nurses have been reported to be exposed to a high level of work stressors (Petterson et al, 1995) [6] . Studies have revealed that nurses are under the greatest work stress and the highest physical and psychological strain among other health care professionals (Rees & Cooper, 1992 [7] ; Petterson et al, 1995 [6] ).…”

Relationship between Hardiness and Risk of Burnout in a Sample of 92 Nurses Working in Oncology and AIDS Wards

“…Excessive stress, however, may cause deterioration in the relationship with patients, in the qual ity of professional performance, and is responsible for 30-40% of absence from work in the British National Health Service [14,15]. In an empirical survey in Great Britain, 50% of junior and senior doctors and health service man agers showed high emotional distress levels, and more than 25% were significantly depressed, scoring >8 on the D scale of the Hospital anxiety and depression scale [16], In a study on 3,500 Swedish nurses, 40% responded that, despite a high degree of job satisfaction, they felt too tired after work to socialize with the family, and 45% had seri ously considered quitting their job [ 17]. Another study on the same population showed a high correlation between job satisfaction and absenteeism [ 18].…”

Health risk behaviors and morbidity among hospital staff − comparison across hospital ward medical specialties in a study of 21 Finnish hospitals

“…No difference was found in one study investigating suicidal behavior among psychiatric healthcare personnel and the general population (18). Other studies found nurses in non-emergency somatic medicine having higher levels of exhaustion than those working in emergency care (19), medical care nurses reporting higher workload than geriatric care nurses (20), and intensive care nursing staff having particularly high burnout rates (21). A major limitation of most studies in this field, however, is a reliance on small sample sizes and, with few exceptions (3,5,11,12), exclusive use of cross-sectional self-report data.…”

“…In hospital settings, there is some evidence to suggest differences in health and health behaviors between staff working in different specialties (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). Studies of physicians show elevated rates of "burnout", mental disorders, substance use, and suicide among psychiatrists, anesthesiologists, and physicians working in emergency or primary care although the association is not robust (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14).…”