Citation

Stab N, Hacker W. J. Psychiatr. Ment. Health Nurs. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Institute of General Psychology, Biological Psychology and Methods of Psychology, Work Unit "Knowledge-Action-Thinking", Technical University, Dresden, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/jpm.12598

PMID

31957114

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The study was based on an approach for participative improvement of work organization at somatic hospital wards related to characteristics that determine nurses' health. It differed from research seeking to adjust the environment to prevent aggressive behavior at psychiatric wards. The focus was on the ergonomic principles of the whole work system and its impact on the nurses' health. AIM/QUESTION: We analyzed the prerequisites for a transfer of this approach to psychiatric nursing.

METHOD: This study employed a cross-sectional design examining 11 wards of a hospital for psychiatry and neurology; 109 nurses participated. We used a multi-method design with observation-based assessments and nurses' self-reports of ward organization.

RESULTS: Two clusters with wards of different work organization were identified. One cluster consisted of better-organized wards. The other included wards with a worse organization. We found substantial convergence between the observation-based assessments and nurses' self-reports.

DISCUSSION: This study results indicated that observation-based assessments were an acceptable alternative to nurses' self-reports, enabling the evaluation of ward organization in a feasible and reliable way. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study showed an approach with a specific view on the structural quality of psychiatric wards; this may support work improvement processes in a more systematic way.

© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

burnout; hospital organization and administration; nursing; observation; psychological; stress