Occupational stress and implementation of information technology among nurses working on acute psychiatric wards

Staff experiences related to implementation of a recovery-oriented nursing programme in psychiatric inpatient care

Nursing in psychiatric inpatient care is peripheral to a dominating biomedical model of care. Efforts are being made to implement nursing models based on core values and theories for nursing, such as recovery-oriented practices. The aim of the study was to explore experiences of a recovery-oriented nursing programme (Steps Towards Recovery, STR) among nursing staff in psychiatric inpatient care and their ratings of stress (Maslach Burnout Inventory scores), quality of care (Quality of Psychiatric Care - Inpatient staff scores) and satisfaction with nursing care (Satisfaction with Nursing Care and Work scale scores), before and after the implementation-and compare with ratings from reference wards. A quasi-experimental and prospective, pretest-post-test design was used. Specific questions about the nursing programme were answered by staff at the intervention wards. Staff reported predominantly positive experiences of the nursing programme. At follow-up, higher ratings were reported in two dimensions of quality of care in the STR group, and lower ratings in one dimension of stress were evident in the reference group. No differences in ratings between the STR and reference wards were found. Staff members' positive experiences of STR and higher ratings regarding participation and secure environment after implementation suggest that STR is a well-accepted and promising nursing programme. It is important to implement and evaluate recovery-oriented interventions in psychiatric inpatient care, where a focus on symptom relief still prevails. The results indicate that there is potential for further exploration of STR in this context.

Nurses' Strategies to Prevent and/or Decrease Work-Related Technostress: A Scoping Review

Although there is evidence of the impact of technostress on nurses' physical and psychological well-being, there is no clear understanding of what strategies are used by nurses to prevent/decrease work-related technostress. Thus, we aim to map existing literature that describe the strategies used by nurses to prevent or decrease work-related technostress. This review followed the methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute for scoping reviews. Data analysis, extraction, and synthesis were performed by two independent reviewers. After contrasting the found literature with the inclusion criteria outlined, no studies were found that address our review question. Overall, we found that technostress is a broad concept, thus becoming difficult to define. Given the complexity and demands of the clinical settings where nurses work, it may be that other stressors are more commonly identified and reported in the literature.

Healthcare managers' experiences of technostress and the actions they take to handle it - a critical incident analysis

Background

Healthcare managers, in comparison with other healthcare professionals, have an increased likelihood of experiencing technostress at work. Since knowledge about the causes and severity of technostress and about the strategies healthcare managers use to handle it is limited, the aim of this study was to describe their experience of technostress and the actions they employ to address it.

Methods

An explorative design based on the critical incident technique was used. In total, 20 healthcare managers (10 women, 10 men) from four hospitals in two county councils in Sweden were purposively selected according to professional background, hierarchical management position, control span, time in the management position, and sex. Semi-structured interviews with regard to critical incidents and actions taken to handle technostress were conducted.

Results

Healthcare managers’ experiences of technostress (n = 279) were categorised related to three main areas. These involved ‘negative aspects of digital communication’ (e.g. high workload, invasion of private life, and negative feelings related to digital communication), ‘poor user experience of ICT systems (such as illogicality of the ICT system, time-consuming ICT system, or malfunctioning ICT system) and ‘needs to improve organisational resources’ (e.g. needs associated with digital literacy, user influence and distribution of work and ICT systems). Actions taken to handle technostress (n=196) were described relating to three main areas involving ‘culture, norms and social support’ (such as good email culture, and co-worker support), ‘individual resources’ (e.g. individual strategies and competence) and ‘organisational resources’ (such as IT-related assistance and support).

Conclusions

Healthcare managers described negative aspects of digital communication, poor user experience of ICT systems, and lack of organisational resources as potential technostress creators. These problems were handled by taking action related to culture, norms and social support, and individual as well as organisational resources. All these features, along with consideration of healthcare managers’ job demands and resources in general, should be incorporated into actions monitored by healthcare organisations to improve or maintain a sustainable digitalised environment for healthcare managers.

Trial registration

Regional Ethics Board in Linköping #2017/597–31. Registered 20 March 2018. URL not available.

Nurses and internet health-related information: review on access and utility

Purpose

To review literature on the nurses' use and access to Internet Health Related Information (HRI). There is relatively little evidence in published literature on barriers, attitudes and how nurses utilize online health-related information.

Methods

Literature search was carried-out on Cumulative Indexes to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Springer and Sage publications. The search timeframe has focused on the outburst of Internet usage between the years 2000 and 2014.

Results

Quality of available websites and databases containing health-related information vary widely in their accuracy, validity and reliability that require nurses to continuously evaluate their relevance.

Conclusion

Emphasis on the necessity for training in the use of information technology is important to the nurses' continuous professional development. Literature showed a strong evidence of the increased access to the Internet by nurses to retrieve information related to clinical practice, which in turns enhance the quality of care and communication among nurses.

Use of information communication technology and stress, burnout, and mental health in older, middle-aged, and younger workers - results from a systematic review

The aim of this systematic review is to summarise quantitative studies in occupational settings observing the association between Information communication technology (ICT) and stress, and burnout, considering age as an effect modifier. A systematic review using PRISMA guidelines was conducted through the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Psycinfo, and the Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria were occupational settings and content relevant to our research question. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Two interventional, 4 cohorts, and 29 cross-sectional studies were found. ICT use in occupational settings was associated with stress seen in cross-sectional studies, but not in interventional studies. There was a concordant association with ICT and burnout in different study designs. Overall, there were no linear trends between age and technostress. We suggest that the observed associations were mostly present in the middle-aged working population and that these associations need to be supported in further studies.

Exposure of mental health nurses to violence associated with job stress, life satisfaction, staff resilience, and post-traumatic growth

Workplace violence towards health workers in hospitals and in mental health units in particular is increasing. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of exposure to violence, job stress, staff resilience, and post-traumatic growth (PTG) on the life satisfaction of mental health nurses. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used. The sample consisted of mental health nurses (n = 118) working in a large mental health centre in Israel. Verbal violence by patients was reported by 88.1% of the nurses, and 58.4% experienced physical violence in the past year. Physical and verbal violence towards nurses was correlated with job stress, and life satisfaction was correlated with PTG and staff resilience. Linear regression analyses indicated that life satisfaction was mainly affected by PTG, staff resilience, and job stress, and less by exposure to verbal and physical violence. The present study is the first to show that, although mental health nurses are frequently exposed to violence, their life satisfaction is affected more by staff resilience, PTG, and job stress than by workplace violence. Therefore, it is recommended that intervention programmes that contribute to PTG and staff resilience, as well as those that reduce job stress among mental health nurses, be explored and implemented.

The unique effects of general and specific support in health care technology: An empirical examination of the principle of compatibility

BACKGROUND

The principle of compatibility suggests that specific attitudes should target specific behaviors. The attitude-behavior relationship is contingent upon the consistency between the two.

PURPOSE

This aim of this study was to examine the strength of relationships involving general versus specific support perceptions and attitudes regarding smart pump technology in hospitals. Specifically, we hypothesized that organizational support perceptions would be more strongly related to general positive work attitudes than it would to smart pump satisfaction. We also hypothesized that smart pump-specific support would be more strongly related to smart pump satisfaction than it would to general positive work attitudes.

METHODOLOGY

Data were collected in a cross-sectional field study via online surveys at two large, public hospital systems in the Midwestern United States, one in Iowa (n = 311 nurses) and one in Wisconsin (n = 346 nurses). Because nurses in one system had more experience with smart pump technology than nurses in the other system, analyses were run separately to compare results across the two sites.

FINDINGS

Consistent with the principle of compatibility, hierarchical regression revealed across both sites that smart pump support had a stronger relationship with smart pump satisfaction whereas general organizational support perceptions had a stronger relationship with general positive work attitudes. In addition, moderation effects were present in one sample where high levels of the noncompatible support (e.g., smart pump-specific support on positive workplace attitudes) buffered low levels of compatible support.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Our findings highlight the contextual importance of support in regard to the growing technological transformations that health care systems currently experience. When specific forms of support are provided for specific technologies, end-users will generally respond more favorably compared to when general support is the only available resource.