Culture of nursing: A factor in nurses¢ health and safety
Lee Ann Hoff, PhD RN1, Ainat Koren, PhD RN2, Barbara Mawn, PhD RN2, Karen Devereaux Melillo, PhD APRN BC2, Carole Pearce, PhD RN2, Kathleen Sperrazza, RN1, and The PHASE in Healthcare Research Team3. (1) PHASE in Health Care Research Team, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 78 Stratford St., West Roxbury, MA 02132, 617 323-6887, leeann.hoff@comcast.net, (2) Nursing Department, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 3 Solomont Way, Suite 2, Lowell, MA 01854, (3) Center for Public Health Research and Health Promotion, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 3 Solomont Way, Lowell, MA 01854
The “culture of nursing” encompasses values, beliefs, and behavioral norms influencing nurses' practice, health team interaction, self-care, and vulnerability to abuse. In the PHASE project (Promoting Health and Safe Employment in Health Care), a 5-year NIOSH-sponsored study, we employed multi-methods to examine health and safety factors for workers in the healthcare environment. We used quantitative and qualitative data from two hospitals, two nursing homes, and a nurses' union. Qualitative data sources included focus group discussions, hospital open forums, key informant interviews, agency observations, media sources and agency documents. The qualitative data analysis suggested that within the health care environment, there was a nursing culture, which influenced various factors affecting nurses' health and safety. Managers and workers expressed the common view that injuries are an expected part of the job for nurses. This was associated with inconsistent reporting of injuries among workers and a discrepancy in the perception for the need for ongoing, mandatory health and safety prevention programs. The impact of health care restructuring was noted to be associated with changes in patient acuity, changes in staffing patterns and for some, less satisfaction in the nursing role. Implications for nursing and health care...