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.

An Exploration of Job Stress among Health Care Work Force

Objectives: The aim of this study is unique and will be useful in elucidating the level and sources of job stress among nurses working in government and private sector health institutions in the Kurdistan Region. This research could be useful in developing future nursing and healthcare manpower planning policies. In this research work, the objective is to evaluate the job stress among hospital nurses in the Kurdistan region. The research part basically explains about work-related stress and how it is harmful to the health of the employees. Methods: With the help of questionnaires, the authors collected primary data from the nurses working in 34 public and 56 private hospitals all over the Kurdistan region. To collect the data author used a simple random sampling method. The proposed study is descriptive in nature and authors collected data from 252 staff nurses working in the Kurdistan region. To do the analysis author used statistical tools like descriptive statistics, mean, cluster, chi-square, and correspondence analysis. To analyses, the data author used statistical software package SPSS 28. Results: The results reveals that the ranking of four job stress domains like job factor, organizational factors, interpersonal relations factors and environmental factors. In that the interpersonal relations factors are ranked number one and the second rank is organizational factors third one is environmental factors and the last one is job factor. Conclusions: In Kurdistan region hospital staff nurses stressed due to routine shift and poor organizational structure are mostly influenced on organizational factors that are why it’s ranked number one among the four domains.

Assess the Level of Practice regarding Prevention of Pressure Ulcer in bedridden patients among Nurses

Background: Pressure ulcers are the common conditions among patients hospitalized in acute and chronic care facilities and impose significant burden on patients, their relatives and caregivers. Now days, pressure ulcers are recognized worldwide as one of the five most common causes of harm to patients and preventable patient safety problem. It is also increasingly described as an indicator of the quality of care provided by health care organization. However, pressure ulcers are largely preventable. All patients who are identified as being at risk should have a management plan to prevent development of pressure ulcer, optimize healing, and prevent complications of existing pressure ulcer. Objectives: 1. To assess the level of practice regarding prevention of pressure ulcer in bedridden patients among nurses. 2. To determine the association between pre-test practice scores of nurses regarding prevention of pressure ulcer in bedridden patients with selected sample characteristics. Methodology: The research design used for this study was non – experimental descriptive design. The study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Population comprises of nurses (staff nurses and student nurses) working in a selected hospital. The sample size selected for this study consists of 60 nurses (staff nurses -24 and student nurses -36) who were working in medical, surgical wards and Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Nurses providing care to the patients who are bed ridden for more than 48 hours were included in the study. Non – probability purposive sampling technique was used to select the samples. The tool used in this study was socio-demographic profile of nurses (separate tool for staff nurses and student nurses) and observational checklist to assess the practice. Result: The overall practice scores of the 60 nurses revealed that 40(66.67%) had good practice, whereas 20(33.33%) samples had average practice and none of them had poor practice. Among of 24 staff nurses; 20(83.33%) had good practice, whereas 4(16.67%) had average practice and none of them had poor practice. Out of 36 student nurses; 20(55.56%) had good practice, whereas 16(44.44%) samples had average practice and none of them had poor practice. It was found that among socio-demographic variables none had association with the practice of staff nurses and student nurses too. Conclusion: The study concluded that continuing education programmes are needed to improve the practices of nurses. Nurses must be motivated to provide back care and position change every second hourly in bedridden patients.