Perceptions and stress of conscience in relation to burnout among nursing staff in older people care settings: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Considering cultural influences, it is important to study the perceptions and stress of conscience in different contexts. This study aimed to investigate the association between perceptions of conscience, stress of conscience, and burnout among nursing staff working in older people care settings in Tehran. METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A total of 161 participants completed the Perceptions of Conscience Questionnaire, Stress of Conscience Questionnaire, and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, 2019. All nursing staff working at the 20 contacted nursing homes agreed to participate in the study. The descriptive and inferential analysis was conducted through SPSS, using T-tests and one-way between-groups analysis of variance, Chi-square and t-tests, Cohen's d (d), Eta-squared (η2), and Phi coefficient (φ), Partial least squares regression (PLSR), jackknife approximate t-tests of the regression coefficients, and jackknife 95% confidence intervals of the regression coefficients. RESULTS: The nursing staff perceived their conscience mainly as an authority, asset, and warning signal. Impact of workload on family life was the most common source of stress for the nursing staff. Dealing with incompatible demands, the impact of workload on family life, witnessing insulated patients, inability to meet one's standards in providing care, and perception of conscience as a burden were strongly associated with the burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Perceiving conscience as a warning signal or authority may serve as a buffer against burnout among nursing staff. This study highlights the need for further exploration of perceptions of conscience in different cultural and social backgrounds.

Assessments of stress of conscience, burnout and social support amongst care providers in home care and residential care for older people.

BACKGROUND: Studies points to that levels of stress of conscience and burnout among staff in healthcare contexts may seriously affect their health. AIM: To compare assessments and associations of stress of conscience, perceptions of conscience, social support and burnout amongst care providers working in home care respectively residential care for older people. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive comparative study was performed among all care providers working in home care (n = 227) and residential care of older people (n = 354) in a municipality in northern Sweden. Data was collected using four different questionnaires. Analysis were performed using partial least square regression, descriptive statistics, statistical tests and effect size measures. RESULTS: Care providers in residential care of older people assessed higher levels of stress of conscience compared to those working in home care. Exhaustion was an important predictor for belonging to the group of care providers working in residential care of older people. The most important predictor for belonging to the group of care providers working in home care were social support from one's immediate superior and co-workers. Women assessed significantly higher levels of stress of conscience and exhaustion compared to men. CONCLUSION: Further research seems needed to investigate what the high levels of stress of conscience is caused by. A combined intervention consisting of work-directed measures against burnout and measures aiming at reducing stress of conscience is suggested.

Self-rated exhaustion disorder and associated health-related factors among municipal employees in rural areas of northern Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study among municipal employees in rural areas of northern Sweden were to assess the prevalence of self-rated exhaustion disorder (s-ED), describe plausible between-group differences in self-reported health-related factors among employees with or without s-ED, and identify health-related factors associated with s-ED. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, data were collected from 1093 municipal employees (76.1% women) in two rural areas using an instrument measuring s-ED and health variables drawn from the Modern Worklife Questionnaire (MWQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the National Board of Health and Welfare's questions about physical activity. Comparisons were made between an s-ED and a non-s-ED group. Health-related factors associated with s-ED were identified through a logistic regression. RESULTS: Self-rated exhaustion disorder was reported by 21.5% of the participants. Health-related factors associated with s-ED were cognitive problems, sleep problems, depressive symptoms, high stress, poor self-rated health, and stomach problems. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of participants who met the criteria of physical activity among s-ED and non-s-ED group. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggest that s-ED is more common among municipal employees in rural areas than in other working populations in Sweden. Several health-related factors were associated with s-ED. Regular use of a self-rated instrument in evaluating the organizational and social work environment can identify people at risk of developing exhaustion disorder and requiring long-term sick leave.

Care providers' troubled conscience related to an implementation of a time management system in residential care for older people-a participatory action research study.

BACKGROUND: Care providers in residential care for older people often refer to time shortage, a problem that may generate troubled conscience. AIM: The aim of the study was to describe a PAR process to assist care providers in municipal residential care for older people to constructively deal with their troubled conscience related to an implemented time management system. METHOD: This intervention study was carried out with 14 care providers and their manager in residential care for older people with the support of participatory action research (PAR). The recorded PAR sessions were transcribed and compiled with inspiration from content analysis. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: The participants were given oral and written information and gave their written informed consent. FINDINGS: The PAR process was found to empower the participants to form their own structure of the practical professional planning, adapted to the residents needs and to their daily work. In this process, participants used their troubled conscience as a driving force and as an asset. CONCLUSION: Instead of launching change without any deeper information, it is important to carefully prepare, involve and inform those who are going to execute the change. Meeting places should be arranged wherein care providers have the opportunity to share and reflect on challenging situations that can generate troubled conscience, especially when comprehensive changes in their work are going to be implemented.

Meanings of troubled conscience and how to deal with it: expressions of Persian-speaking enrolled nurses in Sweden.

INTRODUCTION: A feature of the healthcare system in Sweden, particularly in the care of older people, is its cultural diversity in terms of having considerable numbers of both caregivers and care recipients with an immigrant background. Considering the influence of culture in ethical decision-making processes, the idea of conscience and the adverse effects of a troubled conscience, it is important to study the concepts of conscience and troubled conscience in culturally diverse populations. There is no published study regarding troubled conscience among immigrant populations that includes enrolled nurses. AIM: To illuminate the meanings of troubled conscience and how to deal with it among enrolled nurses with Iranian backgrounds working in Swedish residential care for Persian-speaking people with dementia who have emigrated from Iran. METHOD: The study was conducted with a phenomenological hermeneutic design. Ten enrolled nurses with an Iranian background, with at least one year's experience of taking care of older people with dementia, were interviewed. The study was reviewed by the Regional Ethical Review Board for ethical vetting of research involving humans. Appropriate measures were taken to ensure confidentiality and voluntary participation. RESULTS: The meanings of having a troubled conscience for the participants comprise not being a good person, including being an uncaring person, not acting according to one's values and living in a state of unease. Dealing with a troubled conscience involves trying to compensate for the harm one has caused and trying to prevent similar situations by being a responsible caregiver. CONCLUSIONS: The enrolled nurses understood themselves as caring people and not only caregivers. They knew that they should hear their conscience and respond to it by trying to be a caring person and acting according to their values. The findings should be interpreted in the given specific context.

Clear conscience grounded in relations: Expressions of Persian-speaking nurses in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Conscience is an important concept in ethics, having various meanings in different cultures. Because a growing number of healthcare professionals are of immigrant background, particularly within the care of older people, demanding multiple ethical positions, it is important to explore the meaning of conscience among care providers within different cultural contexts. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to illuminate the meaning of conscience by enrolled nurses with an Iranian background working in residential care for Persian-speaking people with dementia. RESEARCH DESIGN: A phenomenological hermeneutical method guided the study. Participants and research context: A total of 10 enrolled nurses with Iranian background, aged 33-46 years, participated in the study. All worked full time in residential care settings for Persian-speaking people with dementia in a large city, in Sweden. Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board for ethical vetting of research involving humans. Participants were given verbal and written study information and assured that their participation was voluntary and confidential. FINDINGS: Three themes were constructed including perception of conscience, clear conscience grounded in relations and striving to keep a clear conscience. The conscience was perceived as an inner guide grounded in feelings, which is dynamic and subject to changes throughout life. Having a clear conscience meant being able to form a bond with others, to respect them and to get their confirmation that one does well. To have a clear conscience demanded listening to the voice of the conscience. The enrolled nurses strived to keep their conscience clear by being generous in helping others, accomplishing daily tasks well and behaving nicely in the hope of being treated the same way one day. CONCLUSION: Cultural frameworks and the context of practice needed to be considered in interpreting the meaning of conscience and clear conscience.

Assessments of Stress of Conscience, Perceptions of Conscience, Burnout, and Social Support Before and After Implementation of a Participatory Action-Research-Based Intervention.

Interventions aiming to constructively address stress of conscience are rare. The aim of the study was to compare assessments of stress of conscience, perceptions of conscience, burnout, and social support among health care personnel (HCP) working in municipal residential care of older adults, before and after participation in a participatory action research (PAR) intervention aiming to learn to constructively deal with troubled conscience. Questionnaire data were collected at baseline and at follow-up (1-year interval; n = 29). Descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistical tests were used to make comparisons between baseline and follow-up. HCP gave significantly higher scores to the question, "Are your work achievements appreciated by your immediate superior?" at follow-up compared with baseline. No significant differences in levels of stress of conscience and burnout at follow-up were found. The results suggested that a PAR intervention aiming to learn HCP to deal with their troubled conscience in difficult situations could be partially successful.

Experiences of a PAR Intervention in Care for Older People.

Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach for dealing with problematic areas in practice. Follow-up studies in which participants describe their participation in PAR in detail are rare. This follow-up study aimed to describe care providers' (CPs) experiences of having participated in a PAR intervention designed to assist them to constructively deal with troubled conscience. Twenty-nine CPs who participated in a PAR intervention were interviewed 2 to 4 months post-intervention. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The analysis revealed three main categories: the importance of having a communal and collaborative meeting place, perceived changes in daily life, and "It has been good, but it has not solved all of our problems." Using PAR to deal with troubled conscience might be an important organizational investment for the future that can help prevent ill health among CPs and maintain or improve the quality of care.

'Troubled conscience related to deficiencies in providing individualised meal schedule in residential care for older people--a participatory action research study'.

Food and mealtimes should be adapted to the older person's individual needs and desires, a fact that is often ignored in favour of a functional mealtime organisation. This study was grounded in participatory action research (PAR), and the aim of the study was to illuminate a PAR process to assist care providers in constructively dealing with their troubled conscience generated from perceived shortcomings in providing an individualised meal schedule in residential care for older people. Care providers and their manager participated in twelve PAR sessions. The participants' troubled conscience was eased by reflecting on and sharing their thoughts about their perception of a lack of individualised meal schedule and a lack of opportunities for meaningful interventions. The researchers in PAR became the bridge between the care providers and the management that was needed to improve individualised mealtime schedule. This study pinpoints how difficult it can be to make small changes in a rigid organisation that is run by a management that does not have the hands-on knowledge about the daily care provided by the organisation. This study points to the need of creating communication arenas wherein all personnel involved in care for older people, at all organisational levels, together meet to create a good care for older people. However, the care providers have been provided with tools, uncomplicated to use, to continue to let their voices being heard.

Relatives' perceptions of residents' life in a municipal care facility for older people with a focus on quality of life and care environment.

BACKGROUND: Relatives' perceptions of their older loved one's living conditions at residential care facilities are poorly described in interviews. Older persons often find it difficult to make their voices heard and an alternative is to ask a relative who knows the person well to express their views. AIM: This study aimed to describe relatives' perceptions of residents' life in a municipal care facility for older people with a focus on quality of life and care environment. DESIGN: A qualitative study design was used. Data were collected through nine interviews with six relatives of older people living in a residential care facility. METHODS: The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in three main themes and eight subthemes. The main themes were: Residents' life/quality of life is perceived to be in the hands of the care providers, Residents' disabilities and lack of stimulation are perceived to threaten their quality of life, and The secure climate in the residence is perceived to be coloured by Death's waiting room. CONCLUSIONS: The study emphasizes the importance of cocreating a constructive dependency and to take on the challenge of creating a feeling of at-homeness for each resident. It is important to be aware that what relatives perceive as monotony and passivity may be a problem for some residents, but not for all. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study highlights the need to create a powerful partnership between relatives, care providers and residents to enhance the quality of life for residents. Every single meeting is important and makes a difference for the resident. Care providers might need to support relatives to understand that the last phase of life might be about focusing inwardly and reflecting on one's whole life as a way to end it.

A comparison of assessments and relationships of stress of conscience, perceptions of conscience, burnout and social support between healthcare personnel working at two different organizations for care of older people.

AIM: The aim of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to compare assessments and relationships of stress of conscience, perceptions of conscience, burnout and social support between healthcare personnel (HCP) working in two different organisations for care of older people. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive comparative study was performed among Registered Nurses and nurse assistants working in two different organisations (n(1) = 98, n(2) = 488) for residential care of older people. The organisations were chosen to be as different as possible, and data were collected using four different questionnaires. Hierarchical cluster analysis with multiscale bootstrap resampling was used to compare the associations between all items in the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, 95% confidence intervals, chi-squared tests, Cohen's d, Cramer's V and the φ coefficient were all used to judge differences between the organisations. RESULTS: The associations between stress of conscience, perceiving one's conscience as a burden, and burnout were similar in both organisations. Perceiving one's conscience as far too strict and having a troubled conscience from being unable to live up to one's standards were associated with stress of conscience and burnout in one organisation. Women had higher levels of stress of conscience and reported lower social support from co-workers compared with men. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that associations between perceptions of conscience, stress of conscience and burnout are common experiences that are similar among HCP despite great differences in the characteristics of organisations. It can be burdensome for HCP to be unable to realise their ambitions to provide good care, and sex/gender can be an important factor to consider in the development of measures against the negative effects of stress of conscience. More studies are needed about how HCP's ambition to provide good care and sex/gender are related to perceptions of conscience, stress of conscience and burnout.

Learning to deal constructively with troubled conscience related to care providers' perceptions of deficient teamwork in residential care of older people--a participatory action research study.

Conscience can be perceived as an asset that helps care providers to provide good care, but it can also be a burden that generates stress of conscience (stress related to a troubled conscience). Participatory action research (PAR) has been shown to be successful in supporting care providers in residential care of older people to learn to deal with their troubled conscience in challenging and demanding care situations. The aim of the study was to describe an intervention process to assist care providers in residential care of older people to constructively deal with their troubled conscience related to perceptions of deficient teamwork. The study design was grounded in PAR. Nine enrolled nurses (ENs), two nursing aids (NAs), one Registered Nurse (RN) and their manager participated in 12 PAR sessions. All sessions were tape-recorded, and a domain analysis of the transcriptions was performed. Findings show that a PAR-based intervention can support care providers to understand, handle and take measures against deficient teamwork. Using troubled conscience as a driving force can increase the opportunities to improve quality of care in residential care for older people. During the PAR process, participants raised their awareness of the need to view the team in a wider sense and that the manager and the Registered Nurse should also be members of the team to improve team outcome. To improve clinical practice, we suggest that teams in residential care of older people should be enabled to share and reflect on challenging situations that generate troubled conscience. However, as shown in this study, care providers might need support in order to facilitate and promote sharing and reflecting on what their conscience tells them.

Learning to deal constructively with troubled conscience related to care providers' perceptions of not providing sufficient activities for residents.

The aim of this study was to illuminate an intervention process to assist care providers in municipal care of older people to constructively deal with their troubled conscience generated from their perceived shortcomings about not providing sufficient activities for residents. The study design was grounded in participatory action research. Twelve care providers and their manager participated in intervention sessions. Content analysis was used to analyze the transcriptions. By sharing their experiences with each other, care providers became aware of, and confirmed in one another, what types of activities were meaningful for residents and actions were taken to provide such activities. The importance of being attentive and relying on residents' responses, that is, providing person-centered activities, was found to be satisfying to residents and eased the care providers' troubled conscience. An enlightened conscience can be an important asset, which may prevent ill-health and improve quality of care.

Caring for people with dementia disease (DD) and working in a private not-for-profit residential care facility for people with DD.

Caring for people with dementia and working in dementia care is described as having both rewarding and unpleasant aspects and has been studied to a minor extent. This study aims to explore care providers' narrated experiences of caring for people with dementia disease (DD) and working in a private not-for-profit residential care facility for people with DD. Nine care providers were interviewed about their experiences, the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed that participants were struggling to perform person-centred care, which meant trying to see the person behind the disease, dealing with troublesome situations in the daily care, a two-edged interaction with relatives, feelings of shortcomings and troubled conscience, and the need for improvements in dementia care. The analysis also revealed an ambiguous work situation, which meant a challenging value base, the differently judged work environment, feelings of job satisfaction and the need for a functional leadership and management. The results illuminate participants' positive as well as negative experiences and have identified areas requiring improvements. It seems of great importance to strive for a supportive and attendant leadership, a leadership which aims to empower care providers in their difficult work. Using conscience as a driving force together in the work group may benefit care providers' health.

Care providers' experiences of guidelines in daily work at a municipal residential care facility for older people.

AIM: To describe care providers' narrated experiences of guidelines in daily work at a municipal residential care facility for older people. BACKGROUND: Guidelines are used as a way of promoting high-quality health care. Most research concerning guidelines has focused on physician behaviour and to improve one specific aspect of care. Care providers working within municipal residential care of older people have described that working with multiple guidelines sometimes exposed them to contradictory demands and trouble their conscience. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. METHODS: Interviews with eight care providers were carried out between February and March 2012 and analysed by qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Care providers described experiences that guidelines are coming from above and are controlling and not sufficiently anchored at their workplace. Furthermore, they described guidelines as stealing time from residents, colliding with each other, lacking practical use and complicating care, and challenging care providers' judgment. The overall understanding is that care providers describe experiences of struggling to do their best, prioritising between arcane guidelines while keeping the residents' needs in the foreground. CONCLUSION: In order to prevent fragmented use, guidelines have to be coordinated and adapted to the reality of daily practice before implementation. It seems essential to provide opportunities for discussions between care providers, registered nurses and management about how to make guidelines work within their daily practice. Sufficient support, knowledge and involvement are likely key issues that can help care providers to constructively work according to guidelines and thus, by extension, improve the quality of care.

Longitudinal relationships between stress of conscience and concepts of importance.

The aim of this observational longitudinal cohort study was to describe relationships over time between degrees of stress of conscience, perceptions of conscience, burnout scores and assessments of person-centred climate and social support among healthcare personnel working in municipal care of older people. This study was performed among registered nurses and nurse assistants (n = 488). Data were collected on two occasions. Results show that perceiving one's conscience as a burden, having feelings of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and noticing disturbing conflicts between co-workers were positively associated with stress of conscience. No significant changes were observed during the year under study, but degrees of stress of conscience and burnout scores were higher than in previous studies, suggesting that downsizing and increased workloads can negatively affect healthcare personnel. Following and expressing one's conscience in one's work, and perceiving social support from superiors are of importance in buffering the effects of stress of conscience.

Dealing with troubled conscience in municipal care of older people.

Troubled conscience may jeopardize the health of healthcare personnel and, hence, the quality of care provided. Learning more about how personnel deal with their troubled conscience therefore seems important. The aim of this study was to describe personnel's experiences of how they deal with troubled conscience generated in their daily work in municipal care of older people. Interviews were conducted with 20 care providers and analysed with a thematic content analysis. The findings show that in order to deal with troubled conscience, personnel dialogued with themselves and with others. They took measures in a direction they perceived to be correct, and they expressed a need for distancing and re-energizing. It is of importance to share situations that generate troubled conscience in order to find ways to deal with them. Reconsidering one's ways of dealing with troubled conscience may give care providers an opportunity to reach consensus within themselves.

Healthcare personnel's experiences of situations in municipal elderly care that generate troubled conscience.

Healthcare personnel may perceive troubled conscience when feeling inadequate and powerless. It is important to further explore healthcare personnel's descriptions of situations in daily work, which generate troubled conscience to increase the awareness of such situations. This study aimed to describe health care personnel's experiences of situations in municipal elderly care that generate troubled conscience. In this qualitative study, interviews were conducted with Registered and Enrolled nurses and nursing assistants (n = 20) working in municipal elderly care. The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed with content analysis. Situations that generated troubled conscience was (i) Being caught between different demands, comprising being forced to prioritize between different residents' needs, being torn between residents'-/relatives'-/and co-workers' needs and expectations' and between work and private life, (ii) Being torn away from residents to other 'must do's', comprising stealing time from residents' to do housekeeping chore' and to 'obey' rules and recommendations, (iii) Feeling unable to relieve suffering, comprising falling short when striving to help, lacking knowledge, advice and support and time to ease residents' suffering and finally, (iv) Being part of providing care that is or feels wrong, comprising providing poor care and/or witnessing co-workers providing poor care, and being forced to give care that feels wrong. These findings identify important factors that generate stress of conscience (stress caused by troubled conscience), including difficulties with balancing priorities and following rules and recommendations that seem contrary to best care, and the need for interdisciplinary teamwork. Findings point to that sharing what conscience tells in the work team opens up possibilities for healthcare personnel to constructively deal with troubled conscience. Intervention studies are needed to explore whether such measures contribute to relieve the burden of troubled conscience and increase possibilities to provide high quality care.

Revalidation of the Perceptions of Conscience Questionnaire (PCQ) and the Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ).

The Perceptions of Conscience Questionnaire (PCQ) and the Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ) have previously been developed and validated within the 'Stress of Conscience Study'. The aim was to revalidate these two questionnaires, including two additional, theoretically and empirically significant items, on a sample of healthcare personnel working in direct contact with patients. The sample consisted of 503 healthcare personnel. To test variation and distribution among the answers, descriptive statistics, item analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to examine the underlying factor structure of the questionnaires. Support for adding the new item to the PCQ was found. No support was found for adding the new item to the SCQ. Both questionnaires can be regarded as valid for Swedish settings but can be improved by rephrasing some of the PCQ items and by adding items about private life to the SCQ.

Being closely connected to health care providers experiencing burnout: putting one's life on hold to help.

Being closely connected to a person experiencing illness may be a trying experience.This study aimed to illuminate meanings of being closely connected to health care providers experiencing burnout. Ten interviews were conducted with five people closely connected (i.e., family members or supportive friends) to health care providers recovering from burnout. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the resulting text was interpreted using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method. One consequence of being closely connected to health care providers experiencing burnout is putting one's life on hold to help. In facing an almost unmanageable burden, those closely connected revealed their own suffering, emphasizing their need for support. Health care professionals need to be aware that those who are closely connected to a person experiencing burnout may lack knowledge about burnout and its related challenges. It is to be hoped such knowledge would allow significant others to better support the person experiencing burnout and promote their own health.