August 31, 2006 Source: :
http://www.acadiau.ca/whatsnew/newsrelease/2006/nurses_working_cond_31aug.html Are working conditions improving for nurses in Atlantic Canada? (Wolfville, NS) - Atlantic Canada’s nurses still face steep workloads, overtime, high stress and burnout, but calls for concern have not been ignored by nursing environments in Atlantic Canada reports a new study released by the Centre for Organizational Research and Development (COR&D) at Acadia University. Results from the Health Canada-funded study, Nursing Environments: Knowledge to Action, reveal that many positive improvements in nursing environments have been realized, such as provincial nursing strategies, increased university seats for educating new nurses, commitment to nursing leadership within governments and health districts, improvements to information systems and attention to issues concerning practice guidelines of professional groups. As well, numerous grassroots workplace improvement projects are evident throughout Atlantic Canada. There is still much to be done, however, concerning day-to-day worklife issues for nurses. For instance, increased capacity to educate student nurses hasn’t yet solved the problems of understaffing and high workloads. This can be problematic, since high workloads result in high rates of overtime, high absenteeism, stress and burnout, ultimately affecting nurses’ interactions with patients. Workplaces are grappling with how to address these issues. While policy research is valuable in naming a problem and raising awareness, it rarely provides an answer for how to fix the problem at a local level. The complexities of the health care system, fiscal constraints and population health concerns all affect the ability to speed improvements for overworked nurses. The study was headed by COR&D Director and Canada Research Chair Dr. Michael Leiter. "In this study, we looked at quality of worklife, human resources issues, and other similar recommendations that are contained in many national policy documents aimed at improving health care," says Dr. Leiter. "We found some improvements in terms of planning and uptake, but we haven’t yet seen the full benefits of this planning in the workplace. It’s an issue of timing; we’re still waiting to see the impact. We also found that the nurse at the bedside has little knowledge of the content of these reports, and has seen little change in day-to-day worklife issues such as high overtime, stress and burnout. The link between worklife and quality of care is already known, so improving nurses’ worklife is of critical importance." The Nursing Environments: Knowledge to Action study aimed to identify whether the worklife concerns of past reports (such as the Romanow and Kirby reports) had been addressed in Atlantic Canada. A diverse Atlantic Canadian research team explored the use of policy research by health care decision makers when dealing with worklife issues. It found that the recommendations for improvements contained in policy reports are often not addressed. The team explored factors that can help organizations implement recommendations, and factors that prevent implementation. The team also tracked progress made in tackling nurses’ worklife concerns. About the Centre for Organizational Research and Development: The COR&D research team examines organizational relationships through topics such as burnout and managing change, and conducts research with organizations to help them with their human resource needs. COR&D collaborates on projects with both researchers and corporate management around the world. Currently, the Centre is involved in research projects or business consulting in the United States, Italy, Turkey, and Canada. The Centre is committed to its dual focus of excellence in research and optimizing organizational worklife. Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, is recognized as one of Canada’s premier undergraduate institutions. With its nationally and internationally recognized research initiatives, small class sizes, and its technology-rich teaching and learning environment, Acadia offers students a personalized education that includes rigorous academic programs combined with personal growth and development. For more information about Acadia, visit our website at www.acadiau.ca For more information about the project and report, contact:
Dr. Michael Leiter
Centre for Organizational Research and Development Acadia University
Phone: 1-902-585-1671
michael.leiter@acadiau.ca -30- For more information contact:
Scott Roberts
Senior Director, Communications and Public Affairs
Acadia University
P: 902.585.1705
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