Nurse workforce scheduling: A qualitative study of Indonesian nurse managers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The increase in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has resulted in changes in the hospital workflow, including the staffing process and scheduling, especially in the isolation units. Nurse managers are working hard in the scheduling system to ensure high-quality care is provided with the best human resources. Objective: This study aimed to explore the experiences of nurse managers in managing staff nurses’ work schedules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. Eleven nurse managers from three COVID-19 referral hospitals were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using online semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis, and data were presented using a thematic tree. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was used as a reporting guideline of the study. Results: Four themes were developed: (i) Nurse shortage, (ii) Strategically looking for ways to fulfill the workforce, (iii) Change of shift schedule, and (iv) Expecting guidance from superiors and compliance from staff. Conclusion: The lack of nurse staff is a problem during a pandemic. Thus, managing personnel effectively, mobilizing and rotating, and recruiting volunteers are strategies to fulfill the workforce during the pandemic. Using a sedentary shift pattern and sufficient holidays could prevent nurses from falling ill and increase compliance with scheduling. In addition, a staffing calculation formula is needed, and top nursing managers are suggested to provide guidance or direction to the head nurses to reduce confusion in managing the work schedule during the pandemic.

Explaining nursing attrition through the experiences of return-to-practice students: a mixed-methods study

Background: Nurse shortage is an international issue that has adverse effects on health and the quality of care of whole populations. Aims: The study aimed to explore attrition experienced by return-to-practice students attending higher education institutions in England. Methods: A mixed-methods design, involving questionnaires (n=114) and in-depth interviews (n=20), was used. Findings: Just over half (52%) of respondents left nursing after ≥10 years. Most of these (84%) stayed in alternative employment during their break from nursing. There were two distinct reasons for leaving nursing: the inability to maintain a positive work/life balance and a lack of opportunity for career advancement while retaining nursing registration. Respondents reflected positively on their nursing experience yet frequently reported significant personal or professional incidents prompting their decision to leave. Conclusion: The reasons nurses leave are complex. Professional bodies and managers need to work together to address concerns many nurses have during their careers that lead to them deciding to leave the profession.

Factors associated with the nurses’ intent to stay in China, Japan, and Korea: an integrative review

ObjectiveNurse's dimission and attrition are globally considered as a public health issue. However, few studies have focused on the nurse shortage from the perspective of intent to stay, as previous studies have focused only on why they left. The purpose of this study was to conduct an integrative review of the factors connected with why nurses in China, Japan, and Korea stay in their current workplace.MethodsThe review was done using three databases namely CNKI, Wanfang, and Web of science. The relevant studies published by Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans from 2010 were also included in this review. Literature screening and data extraction were performed by the two researchers, and the qualitative research methods were used for analysis.ResultsA total of 17 studies were analyzed in this review and of these two were qualitative and 15 were quantitative. Three themes and six sub-themes emerged from the synthesization of the data of 17 studies, which will help us to find the factors for nurses’ intent to stay. The three aspects such as professional characteristics, nurses’ individual characteristics, and organizational factors are the main contributing factors of nurses’ intent to stay.ConclusionsThis integrated review has thrown some important factors about nurses’ intent to stay. It is increasingly clear that when (1) nurses have a good professional status, (2) nurses could enjoy a good working relationship, (3) the workplace could meet the needs of personal development, and (4) nurses have good organizational support and excellent leaders, they are inclined to stay in their current jobs. Managers need to adopt targeted measures to improve nurses’ intent to stay and to provide a practical reference for health care institutions and managers in different countries and areas to increase the retention rate of nurses and to alleviate the current situation of nurse shortage.

Application of Audio Education in Respiratory Medicine Wards

Improving the efficiency of patient education can help improve patient’s satisfaction and alleviate the pressure of nurse shortage. This study aimed to develop and pilot an educational audio to improve the effectiveness of inpatient education. A primary literature review was conducted and educational materials were written and recorded by MP3. A pilot study was conducted in 713 adult patients in the department of respiratory medicine at a large urban Shanghai teaching hospital. Patients in the experimental group showed greater satisfaction with their health education. For the education to be effective during the admission, the asthma patients in the experimental group spent less time in face-to-face communication. The feedback rate for disease education among asthma patients in the experimental group was significantly higher. Wider applications of audio in patient education may be valuable to better adjust to nurse reduction and to improve nursing service quality.

Integrative Nursing in China

This chapter explores the application of integrative medicine and nursing within the framework of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Concepts such as Qi and yin yang theory are discussed, TCM therapies such as moxibustion are also explored. What is now called integrative medicine and integrative nursing has existed within China for centuries and is not new; however, there are still challenges to advancing integrative nursing in China, including a nurse shortage and the lack of a defined set of principles of integrative nursing. This chapter discusses a vision and strategies for the development and sustainment of integrative nursing in China.