Nurse practitioners' work hours and overtime: How much, and under what working conditions?

Psychosocial ergonomics of the workplace of medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in three risk's dimensions: working hours, violence and the use of psychoactive drugs-a prospective pilot study

Introduction

Workplace ergonomics should also be considered in the context of psychosocial factors affecting the worker, which have a real impact on occupational risk. The present study examined psychosocial risk factors in medical personnel in three domains: working hours, violence and substance abuse.

Methods

The purpose of the present study is to assess the current state of psychosocial ergonomics of medical personnels by measuring occupational risks in the domains of: working hours, violence and psychoactive substance abuse. The survey is consisted of two parts: socio-demographic information of participants and participants' assements of psychosocial risk factors.

Results

In more than half of the respondents (52%), increased risk was identified in the domain of working hours. Nearly half of the respondents (49.6%) have an identified high risk in the domain of violence, and more than half of the respondents (52%) are at high risk in the domain of psychoactive substance abuse.

Discussion

Our findings show that the present psychosocial ergonomics of the Polish health system must be improved. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a compelling test to assess the current state. Our findings highlighted the fact that HCWs often worked overtime and that many cases of workplace violence and substance abuse were reported.

Gender differences in nurse practitioners: job satisfaction and patterns of care

BACKGROUND

Although workforce diversity has been cited as an important workforce issue, the contemporary U.S. nurse practitioner (NP) workforce is dominated by females. Provider diversity, specifically gender, has been found to directly influence patient preference. However, lack of gender diversity in the NP workforce has never been specifically evaluated in terms of job satisfaction and patterns of care.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to assess and evaluate NP gender, job satisfaction and practice patterns of care for U.S. clinical NPs.

METHODS

This study used the 2012 National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners (NSSNP). Participants meeting inclusion criteria totaled 8,978 NPs, of which 92.8% were female.

RESULTS

Although overall job satisfaction was not shown to be significantly different between genders, several patterns of care were found to be significant. Of the 11 measured patterns of care in the NSSNP, six were significantly different between genders, with a female majority indicating that they performed these services most often. In only one rendered service, performed medical procedures, did male NPs indicate that they did more than females.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This study suggests the importance of a gender-diversified U.S. nurse practitioner workforce. This is indicated by differences highlighted in patterns of care by NP gender, which has been postulated to influence patient outcomes, including perceived quality of care and engagement in the health care process. Patient preferences for same-gender NPs, particularly patients with privacy issues, warrant further exploration.

Association of Working Hours and Patient Safety Competencies with Adverse Nurse Outcomes: A Cross-Sectional Study

The environment of health organizations can determine healthcare quality and patient safety. Longer working hours can be associated with nurses’ health status and care quality, as well as work-related hazards. However, little is known about the association of hospital nurses’ working hours and patient safety competencies with adverse nurse outcomes. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, convenience sampling was employed to recruit 380 nurses from three tertiary care hospitals in South Korea. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from May to June 2016. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to identify the association of working hours and patient competencies with adverse nurse outcomes among 364 participants selected for analysis. Most nurses worked over 40 h/week. Working hours (β = 0.202, p < 0.001) had the strongest association with adverse nurse outcomes. Low perceived patient safety competencies (β = −0.179, p = 0.001) and frequently reporting patient safety accidents (β = 0.146, p = 0.018) were also correlated with adverse nurse outcomes. Nursing leaders should encourage work cultures where working overtime is discouraged and patient safety competencies are prioritized. Further, healthcare managers must formulate policies that secure nurses’ rights. The potential association of overtime with nurse and patient outcomes needs further exploration.