Factors associated with work-private life conflict and leadership qualities among line managers of health professionals in Swiss acute and rehabilitation hospitals – a cross-sectional study

Background: The workforce shortage of health professionals is a current concern, with a high level of work-related stress being an important reason why health professionals leave their career prematurely. In particular, incompatibility between work and private life and a lack of leadership qualities among line managers are important factors in health professionals’ satisfaction and health at work. This study therefore aimed to identify key associated factors of work-private life conflicts and of poor managerial leadership quality among health professionals. Methods: This study is based on a cross-sectional survey in 26 Swiss acute and rehabilitation hospitals, consisting of 3398 health professionals from various disciplines. For data analysis, multilevel models (with hospitals as the second level variable) were performed for ‘work-private life conflict’ and ‘quality of leadership’, considering significant main effects (using AIC) and significant interactions (using BIC) of potential explanatory variables. Results: The main findings of this study reveal that the compatibility of health professionals’ work and private life is associated with topics of shift planning, specifically regarding their influence on shift planning (possibility of exchanging shifts, β=-2.87, p=0.000), the extent to which their individual preferences are considered (e.g. working in one specific shift only, β=6.31, p=0.000), the number of shifts per weekend (β=1.38, p=0.002) and the number of hours per week (β=0.13, p=0.000) they had to work. In addition, high quantitative demands (β=0.25, p=0.000) as well as being required to hide their emotions (β=0.16, p=0.000) and poor social community at work (β=-0.12, p=0.000) were also related to a severe work-private life conflict. Regarding managerial leadership, health professionals perceived the leadership qualities of their direct line manager as better if they received more social support (β=0.61, p=0.000) and rewards (β=0.41, p=0.000) at work. Conclusions: These study results show key components of improving the compatibility of work and private life as well as managerial leadership qualities among health professionals and can help top executives working in acute or rehabilitation hospitals to develop appropriate interventions

Inhaltsvalidierung des Fragebogens «The Management of Aggression in People with Dementia Attitude Questionnaire German Version» (MAPDAQ-G) [Content validation of the questionnaire "German Version of the Management of Aggression in People with Dementia Attitude Questionnaire" (G-V-MAPDAQ)]

Background: Dementia is one of the most common diseases of aging and leads to an increased need for care. Caregivers' attitudes about aggression can influence their interaction with people with dementia. To examine this further, “The Management of Aggression in People with Dementia Attitude Questionnaire” (MAPDAQ) was developed for use in nursing homes in the United Kingdom. In Switzerland, the MAPDAQ has been translated into a German Version (MAPDAQ-G), but not yet tested for its validity and reliability. Aim: Therefore the present study examined the content and face validity, comprehensibility and interpretability of MAPDAQ-G in a Swiss context. Methods: The review was based on expert surveys and interviews with caregivers in nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals. Results: According to experts, the optimised MAPDAQ-G is comprehensive (88 %) and shows good content validity (I-CVI = 0,6 – 0,1; S-CVI-Ave = 0,88). 15 items have been adapted and further validated by 16 nurses. Finally, apart from two items, the MAPDAQ-G is understood by nurses and can be interpreted consistently. Conclusions: A questionnaire of this sort allows nurses to reflect in practice upon their own attitude with regard to the management of aggression in people with dementia and to influence the quality of care. The MAPDAQ-G should be statistically tested for validity and reliability using a larger sample

Content Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Digital Competence of Nurses in Clinical Practice

Clinical practice nurses need adequate digital competence to use technologies appropriately at work. Questionnaires measuring clinical practice nurses' digital competence lack content validity because attitude is not included as a measure of digital competence. The aim of the current study was to identify items for an item pool of a questionnaire to measure clinical practice nurses' digital competence and to evaluate the content validity. A normative Delphi study was conducted, and the content validity index on item and scale levels was calculated. In each round, 21 to 24 panelists (medical informatics specialists, nurse informatics specialists, digital managers, and researchers) were asked to rate the items on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from “not relevant” to “very relevant.” Within three rounds, the panelists reached high consensus and rated 26 items of the initial 37 items as relevant. The average content validity index of 0.95 (SD, 0.07) demonstrates that the item pool showed high content validity. The final item pool included items to measure knowledge, skills, and attitude. The items included represent the international recommendations of core competences for clinical nursing. Future research should conduct psychometric testing for construct validity and internal consistency of the generated item pool

Akutspitäler und Demenz: Kluft zwischen Bedarf und Realität.

Die Betreuung von Menschen mit Demenz gehört zu unseren grössten gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen. Verschiedene Erkrankungen können die Grunderkrankung der Demenz überlagern und einen Aufenthalt im Akutspital nötig machen. Das Akutspital ist deshalb ein Versorgungssetting, das den Bedarfen von Menschen mit Demenz Rechnung tragen muss

Investigating work-related stress among health professionals at different hierarchical levels: A cross-sectional study

Aim: To determine the extent of stress at work among health professionals working in upper-, middle- and lower-management positions and those not working in management positions. Design: Cross-sectional design and randomly selected hospitals, nursing homes and home care organizations. Methods: The study sample included nursing staff and midwives, physicians, medical– technical and medical–therapeutic professionals at all hierarchical levels (N = 8,112). Data were collected using self-report questionnaires and analysed using multiple regression models. Results: Health professionals in upper- and middle-management positions reported higher quantitative demands, severe work–private life conflicts (p < .05) as well as less role clarity in middle-management positions (B = −1.58, p < .05). In lower-management positions, health professionals reported higher physical (B = 3.80, p < .001) and emotional demands (B = 1.79, p < .01), stress symptoms (B = 1.81, p < .05) and job dissatisfaction (B = −1.17, p < .05). Health professionals without management responsibilities reported the poorest working conditions in relation to various stressors, job satisfaction (B = −5.20, p < .001) and health-related outcomes (e.g. burnout symptoms: B = 1.89, p < .01). KEYWORDS nurses, nursing, stress, work, workforc

Attitudes of Nursing Staff in Hospitals towards Restraint Use: A Cross-Sectional Study

The attitude of nursing staff towards restraint use can be decisive for whether restraints are used. So far, nursing staff’s attitudes have been studied primarily in long-term and mental health care settings, while findings from somatic acute care hospital settings are largely lacking. Therefore, we aimed to investigate (a) the attitudes of hospital nursing staff towards restraint use, and (b) the construct validity and reliability of a measurement instrument for use in hospital settings that was developed and validated in long-term care settings (Maastricht Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ)). Using a cross-sectional design, the attitudes of 180 nursing staff towards restraint use were assessed. The data were analysed descriptively and by means of regression analysis and factor analysis. We found that nursing staff in hospitals have a neutral attitude towards restraint use and that the MAQ, with minor adaptations, can be used in hospital settings, although further testing is recommended. Neutral attitudes of nursing staff have also been observed in long-term and mental health care settings, where changing attitudes were found to be challenging. Interventions at the national level (e.g., legal regulations) and management level (e.g., providing alternatives and changing institutional culture) are suggested

Health professionals’ sentiments towards implemented information technologies in psychiatric hospitals: a text-mining analysis

Background Psychiatric hospitals are increasingly being digitalised. Digitalisation often requires changes at work for health professionals. A positive attitude from health professionals towards technology is crucial for a successful and sustainable digital transformation at work. Nevertheless, insufficient attention is being paid to the health professionals’ sentiments towards technology. Objective This study aims to identify the implemented technologies in psychiatric hospitals and to describe the health professionals’ sentiments towards these implemented technologies. Methods A text-mining analysis of semi-structured interviews with nurses, physicians and psychologists was conducted. The analysis comprised word frequencies and sentiment analyses. For the sentiment analyses, the SentimentWortschatz dataset was used. The sentiments ranged from -1 (strongly negative sentiment) to 1 (strongly positive sentiment). Results In total, 20 health professionals (nurses, physicians and psychologists) participated in the study. When asked about the technologies they used, the participating health professionals mainly referred to the computer, email, phone and electronic health record. Overall, 4% of the words in the transcripts were positive or negative sentiments. Of all words that express a sentiment, 73% were positive. The discussed technologies were associated with positive and negative sentiments. However, of all sentences that described technology at the workplace, 69.4% were negative. Conclusions The participating health professionals mentioned a limited number of technologies at work. The sentiments towards technologies were mostly negative. The way in which technologies are implemented and the lack of health professionals’ involvement seem to be reasons for the negative sentiments