Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Consequences of working in elder care during changes and cutbacks in the organisation while education and clinical supervision was provided: A mixed methods study
Ersta Sköndal University College, Department of Health Care Sciences.
Faculty for Health Sciences, Buskerud and Vestfold University College, Drammen, Norway.
Ersta Sköndal University College, Department of Health Care Sciences. Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska institutet.
Centre for Caring Sciences, Örebro University Hospital.
Show others and affiliations
2015 (English)In: Open Journal of Nursing, ISSN 2162-5336, E-ISSN 2162-5344, Vol. 5, no 9, p. 813-827Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Reorganization and downsizing can disrupt a competent staff and conflicts can arise between what the employee is being asked to do and their knowledge and competences. Reduced job satisfaction among nursing home staff with increased workload and strain can occur. Aim and Objectives: The aim was to investigate the organizational climate and prevalence of burnout symptoms among caregivers over time in three Swedish nursing homes (NH I-III) undergoing organizational changes, while education and clinical supervision were provided. Design: The study design combines qualitative and quantitative methods in a longitudinal two-year follow-up project in NH I-III. Methods: Support through education and clinical supervision was provided for caregivers only at NH I and NH II. At NH I-III caregiver self-assessments and interviews were completed and analysed three different times. Results: NH I revealed improvement and increased innovation over time, while NH II showed a decline with no ability to implement new knowledge. NH III retained a more status quo. Conclusions: Organizational changes and cutbacks, occurring at different times, appeared to cause major stress and frustration among the three personnel groups. They felt guilty about not meeting their perceived obligations, seemed to have lost pride in their work but kept struggling. The changes seemed to over-shadow attempts to improve working conditions through education and clinical supervision initially. Implications for practice: It will be important to learn from reorganizations and the consequences they will have for the staff and quality of care. Important topics for future research are to study financial cutbacks and changes in organizational processes in care of older people to be able to develop a more person centered care for older people.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2015. Vol. 5, no 9, p. 813-827
Keywords [en]
Nursing Home, Organizational Climate and Burnout, Education and Clinical Supervision, Cutbacks and Organizational Changes
National Category
Other Medical Sciences not elsewhere specified Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-5654DOI: 10.4236/ojn.2015.59086OAI: oai:DiVA.org:esh-5654DiVA, id: diva2:1057835
Note

As submitted manuscript in dissertation with title: "Organizational climate and burnout in relation to changes in organization - caregivers self-assessments and experiences at nursing homes."

Available from: 2016-12-19 Created: 2016-12-19 Last updated: 2024-01-25Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Work in eldercare - staying or leaving: Caregivers' experiences of work and support during organizational changes
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Work in eldercare - staying or leaving: Caregivers' experiences of work and support during organizational changes
2008 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The overall aim of the present thesis was to reveal nursing home (NH) caregivers’ work ex-periences when receiving support through education and clinical supervision over a two-year period, while the workplace was undergoing organizational changes. The studies (I-IV) com-bine qualitative and quantitative methods in a longitudinal two-year follow-up project in three Swedish NHs (NH I - III), in which support was given to the staff at NH I-II. NH III was in-cluded as a comparison. The thesis is based on interviews (I-IV) and self-assessment ques-tionnaires (I), which were conducted at three occasions: at start, after 12 and 24 months at the respective NHs. As a result of political decisions, NH I was informed of organizational changes and pending financial cutbacks shortly after opening. The other NHs were informed at around 12 months. The numbers of caregivers willing to participate at start were 32, 21 and 22 at the respective NHs. No new participants were included to replace dropouts. Descriptive statistics (I) and qualitative content analyses (I-IV) were used. Study I focused on the organ-izational climate and the prevalence of burnout symptoms in the three NHs. The result from NH I revealed an improvement over time as opposed to NH II, which showed negative pro-gression at 12 months, despite support. This corresponded to the time at which they received information about financial cutbacks. The improvement based on the interviews at NH I was not as distinct as that based on the self-assessment scores. The support given seemed to have helped the caregivers at NH I, but was not able to alter the situation at NH II. The develop-ment based on self-assessments at NH III was more constant throughout the study. Results from interviews at NH II and III were more in accordance with the scores. In Study II, the caregivers’ work experiences at NH II, while receiving support through education and clinical supervision, showed that they valued the caring milieu and their own knowledge. The value of knowledge was related to their different backgrounds and to the knowledge gained through the support, and it seemed to be one factor underlying participants’ continued willingness to stay. In Study III, caregivers’ experiences and reflections on working at NH III, while under threat of organizational changes and termination notice, showed a transition from ‘having a professional identity and self-confidence’ to ‘being a professional in a threatening situation caused by someone else’. Finally they were ‘struggling to adapt to a changed working envi-ronment as a person and a professional’. The caregivers experienced a loss of pride and satis-faction. Included in Study II and III were interviews from those caregivers who had been interviewed on all three occasions. Study IV focused on what had caused caregivers at the three NHs to decide to leave their employment during the study period. Caregivers’ decisions to leave work could be encompassed in one main category: ‘Unmet expectations’. Their ex-periences were lack of encouragement, trust and professional development. Also reported were feelings of insecurity, different opinions on the care delivered, being disregarded and betrayed, followed by thoughts of leaving work and pursing other opportunities. It can be concluded that the changes at all three NHs seemed to have over-shadowed attempts to im-prove working conditions. Successful changes require a vision that justifies them. High-level decision-makers and managers ought to be conscious of the factors that facilitate or impede similar transitions. They should also focus on supporting caregivers during change processes, as the literature shows a risk for decreasing quality of care.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Karolinska institutet, 2008. p. 51
Keywords
Nursing home, Caregivers’ experiences and expectations, Organizational climate, Burnout, Education and clinical supervision, Cutbacks and organizational changes, Termination notice, Transition, Nursing workforce
National Category
Nursing Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-5704 (URN)978-91-7409-049-9 (ISBN)
Public defence
2008-06-11, Föreläsningssal Po-4-221, Alfred Nobels Allé 12, Karolinska universitetssjukhuset, Huddinge, 13:00
Available from: 2008-06-18 Created: 2017-01-16 Last updated: 2021-03-30Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full text

Authority records

Fläckman, BirgittaFagerberg, Ingegerd

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Fläckman, BirgittaFagerberg, Ingegerd
By organisation
Department of Health Care Sciences
In the same journal
Open Journal of Nursing
Other Medical Sciences not elsewhere specifiedHealth Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 162 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf