Interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic review
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nursing work environments (NWEs) in Canada and other Western countries have increasingly received attention following years of restructuring and reported high workloads, high absenteeism, and shortages of nursing staff. Despite numer...
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doaj-9a52a386b196414b95e7d255cdbf8e192020-11-24T22:17:23ZengBMCImplementation Science1748-59082010-04-01513410.1186/1748-5908-5-34Interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic reviewHollands LoukHalfens Ruud JGBijl Marloes LPSchalk Donna MJCummings Greta G<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nursing work environments (NWEs) in Canada and other Western countries have increasingly received attention following years of restructuring and reported high workloads, high absenteeism, and shortages of nursing staff. Despite numerous efforts to improve NWEs, little is known about the effectiveness of interventions to improve NWEs. The aim of this study was to review systematically the scientific literature on implemented interventions aimed at improving the NWE and their effectiveness.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An online search of the databases CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, ABI, Academic Search Complete, HEALTHstar, ERIC, Psychinfo, and Embase, and a manual search of Emerald and Longwoods was conducted. (Quasi-) experimental studies with pre/post measures of interventions aimed at improving the NWE, study populations of nurses, and quantitative outcome measures of the nursing work environment were required for inclusion. Each study was assessed for methodological strength using a quality assessment and validity tool for intervention studies. A taxonomy of NWE characteristics was developed that would allow us to identify on which part of the NWE an intervention targeted for improvement, after which the effects of the interventions were examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over 9,000 titles and abstracts were screened. Eleven controlled intervention studies met the inclusion criteria, of which eight used a quasi-experimental design and three an experimental design. In total, nine different interventions were reported in the included studies. The most effective interventions at improving the NWE were: primary nursing (two studies), the educational toolbox (one study), the individualized care and clinical supervision (one study), and the violence prevention intervention (one study).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Little is known about the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving the NWE, and published studies on this topic show weaknesses in their design. To advance the field, we recommend that investigators use controlled studies with pre/post measures to evaluate interventions that are aimed at improving the NWE. Thereby, more evidence-based knowledge about the implementation of interventions will become available for healthcare leaders to use in rebuilding nursing work environments.</p> http://www.implementationscience.com/content/5/1/34 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Hollands Louk Halfens Ruud JG Bijl Marloes LP Schalk Donna MJ Cummings Greta G |
spellingShingle |
Hollands Louk Halfens Ruud JG Bijl Marloes LP Schalk Donna MJ Cummings Greta G Interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic review Implementation Science |
author_facet |
Hollands Louk Halfens Ruud JG Bijl Marloes LP Schalk Donna MJ Cummings Greta G |
author_sort |
Hollands Louk |
title |
Interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic review |
title_short |
Interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic review |
title_full |
Interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic review |
title_fullStr |
Interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic review |
title_full_unstemmed |
Interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic review |
title_sort |
interventions aimed at improving the nursing work environment: a systematic review |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
Implementation Science |
issn |
1748-5908 |
publishDate |
2010-04-01 |
description |
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nursing work environments (NWEs) in Canada and other Western countries have increasingly received attention following years of restructuring and reported high workloads, high absenteeism, and shortages of nursing staff. Despite numerous efforts to improve NWEs, little is known about the effectiveness of interventions to improve NWEs. The aim of this study was to review systematically the scientific literature on implemented interventions aimed at improving the NWE and their effectiveness.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An online search of the databases CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, ABI, Academic Search Complete, HEALTHstar, ERIC, Psychinfo, and Embase, and a manual search of Emerald and Longwoods was conducted. (Quasi-) experimental studies with pre/post measures of interventions aimed at improving the NWE, study populations of nurses, and quantitative outcome measures of the nursing work environment were required for inclusion. Each study was assessed for methodological strength using a quality assessment and validity tool for intervention studies. A taxonomy of NWE characteristics was developed that would allow us to identify on which part of the NWE an intervention targeted for improvement, after which the effects of the interventions were examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over 9,000 titles and abstracts were screened. Eleven controlled intervention studies met the inclusion criteria, of which eight used a quasi-experimental design and three an experimental design. In total, nine different interventions were reported in the included studies. The most effective interventions at improving the NWE were: primary nursing (two studies), the educational toolbox (one study), the individualized care and clinical supervision (one study), and the violence prevention intervention (one study).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Little is known about the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving the NWE, and published studies on this topic show weaknesses in their design. To advance the field, we recommend that investigators use controlled studies with pre/post measures to evaluate interventions that are aimed at improving the NWE. Thereby, more evidence-based knowledge about the implementation of interventions will become available for healthcare leaders to use in rebuilding nursing work environments.</p> |
url |
http://www.implementationscience.com/content/5/1/34 |
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