Oncology Nursing for the Future: Multisector Planning Is Needed.

Assessing the landscape for oncology nursing of the future, the biggest problem that faces the specialty is that of workforce shortages. On the practice side, nursing turnover, resignations, and early retirements have contrib.

[Relationships among Non-Nursing Tasks, Nursing Care Left Undone, Nurse Outcomes and Medical Errors in Integrated Nursing Care Wards in Small and Medium-Sized General Hospitals].

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the degree of non-nursing tasks and nursing care left undone in integrated nursing care wards, and examine their relationships with nurses' burnout, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and medical errors. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires from 346 nurses working in 20 wards of seven small and medium-sized general hospitals, and analyzed using multiple regression and multiple logistic regression analysis with the SPSS WIN 25.0 program. RESULTS: The mean score for non-nursing tasks was 7.32±1.71, and that for nursing care left undone was 4.42 ± 3.67. An increase in non-nursing tasks (ß = .12, p = .021) and nursing care left undone (ß = .18, p < .001) led to an increase in nurses' burnout (F = 6.26, p < .001). As nursing care left undone (ß = .13, p = .018) increased, their turnover intentions also (F = 3.96, p < .001) increased, and more medical errors occurred (odds ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.02~1.15). CONCLUSION: Non-nursing tasks and nursing care left undone are positively associated with nurses' burnout, turnover intentions, and the occurrence of medical errors. Therefore, it is important to reduce non-nursing tasks and nursing care left undone in order to deliver high quality nursing care and in turn increase patient safety.

Community-Based Palliative Care Leader Perspectives on Staffing, Recruitment, and Training.

To assess perspectives of US community-based palliative care program leaders on staffing, recruitment, and training, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Leaders (n = 20) from academic medical centers, large integrated and community health systems, home health and hospice organizations, and the Veterans Administration were recruited. Three major categories emerged that influence community-based palliative care workforce team composition across settings: (1) staffing models and recruitment are influenced by setting and workforce experience, (2) training varies by setting, and (3) demand exceeds supply of trained workforce. Participants described a hybrid approach used in academic and community settings to complete an interdisciplinary team by leveraging social work and chaplaincy from inpatient departments and home health and hospice. Physician-led interdisciplinary teams in academic settings and teams more often led by nurse practitioners in community settings were reported. Community program leaders expressed the desire to recruit nurses with home health and hospice experience because of the ability to work independently. Training was described as more often on-the-job in community settings. Turnover related to the lack of a properly trained workforce was described as one of the biggest barriers to palliative care development.

Effect of the practice environment of nurses on job outcomes and safety climate / Efeito do ambiente da prática do enfermeiro nos resultados do trabalho e clima de segurança / Efecto del ambiente de la práctica del enfermero en los resultados del trabajo y clima de seguridad

ABSTRACT Objective: to propose and analyze a theoretical model to measure the effect of nurses' perceptions about the practice environment on safety climate, job satisfaction, intention to stay employed and in the profession, and burnout syndrome. Method: correlational study with probabilistic sample of 465 nurses. In the theoretical model, the dimensions of the nursing practice environment were considered as independent variables and job satisfaction, safety climate, intention to stay employed and in the profession, and burnout were considered the outcome variables. Structural Equation Modeling was the method used in the analysis. Results: small adjustments were made in the model and the dimensions of practice environment predicted job satisfaction (R2 = 43%), safety climate (R2 = 42%) and burnout (R2 = 36%), as well as the intention to stay in the job (R2 = 22%) and in the profession (R2 = 17%). Conclusion: the practice environment showed a strong impact on job satisfaction, safety climate and burnout, with a moderate impact on the intention to stay in the institution and in the profession. The findings can be used to manage care in health institutions, focusing on promoting nurse retention and improving the safety climate.

RESUMO Objetivo: propor e analisar um modelo teórico que mensura o efeito da percepção de enfermeiros quanto ao ambiente da prática no clima de segurança, na satisfação no trabalho, na intenção de permanecer tanto no emprego quanto na profissão e no burnout. Método: estudo correlacional com amostra probabilística de 465 enfermeiros. No modelo teórico, as dimensões do ambiente da prática foram consideradas variáveis independentes e satisfação no trabalho, clima de segurança, intenção de permanecer no trabalho e na profissão e burnout, variáveis de resultado. Para análise, utilizou-se o método de Modelagem de Equações Estruturais. Resultados: realizaram-se pequenos ajustes no modelo e as dimensões do ambiente da prática foram preditoras da satisfação no trabalho (R2 = 43%), do clima de segurança (R2 = 42%) e burnout (R2 = 36%), bem como da intenção de permanecer na instituição (R2 = 22%) e na profissão (R2 = 17%). Conclusão: o ambiente da prática mostrou forte impacto na satisfação no trabalho, clima de segurança e burnout, com moderado impacto na intenção em permanecer na instituição e na profissão. Os achados podem ser utilizados para o gerenciamento da assistência em instituições de saúde, com enfoque na promoção da retenção de enfermeiros e melhoria do clima de segurança.

RESUMEN Objetivo: proponer y analizar un modelo teórico que mida el efecto de la percepción de enfermeros sobre el ambiente de la práctica en el clima de seguridad, en la satisfacción en el trabajo, en la intención de permanecer tanto en el empleo cuanto en la profesión y en el burnout. Método: estudio correlacional con muestra probabilística de 465 enfermeros. En el modelo teórico, las dimensiones del ambiente de la práctica fueron consideradas variables independientes y satisfacción en el trabajo, clima de seguridad, intención de permanecer en el trabajo y en la profesión y burnout, variables de resultado. Para el análisis se utilizó el método de Modelaje de Ecuaciones Estructurales. Resultados: se realizaron pequeños ajustes en el modelo y las dimensiones del ambiente de la práctica fueron predictoras de la satisfacción en el trabajo (R2 = 43%), del clima de seguridad (R2 = 42%) y burnout (R2 = 36%), así como de la intención de permanecer en la institución (R2 = 22%) y en la profesión (R2 = 17%). Conclusión: el ambiente de la práctica mostró fuerte impacto en la satisfacción en el trabajo, clima de seguridad y burnout, con moderado impacto con la intención en permanecer en la institución y en la profesión. Los hallados pueden ser utilizados para el gerenciamiento de la asistencia en instituciones de salud, con enfoque en la promoción de la retención de enfermeros y mejoría del clima de seguridad.

A staff support programme for rural hospitals in Nepal.

PROBLEM: District hospitals in Nepal struggle to provide essential services such as caesarean sections. APPROACH: Retention of health workers is critical to the delivery of long-term, quality health-care services. To promote retention and enhance performance in rural public hospitals, the Government of Nepal and the Nick Simons Institute progressively implemented a rural staff support programme in remote hospitals. After competitive selection for a compulsory-service scholarship and training, family practice doctors who could do basic surgery, orthopaedics and obstetrics were hired under a binding three-year contract in each participating hospital. Comfortable living quarters and an Internet connection were provided for the resident doctors; in-service training for all staff and capacity development for each hospital's management committee were provided. LOCAL SETTING: Nepal's mountainous landscape, poverty and inequitable rural/urban distribution of health workers pose barriers to adequate health care. RELEVANT CHANGES: Between 2011 and 2015 family practice doctors were maintained in all seven programme hospitals. All hospitals became providers of comprehensive emergency obstetric care and served more patients. Compared with hospitals not within the programme, deliveries increased significantly (203% versus 71% increase, respectively; P = 0.002). The programme recently expanded to 14 hospitals. LESSONS LEARNT: A package of human resource supports can improve the retention of doctors and the use of remote hospitals. Factors contributing to the success of this programme were compulsory-service scholarship, central personnel management, performance-based incentives and the provision of comfortable living quarters.

Intention to leave the workplace among nurses working with cancer patients in acute care hospitals in Sweden.

PURPOSE: To examine associations between perceived leadership and intention to leave the workplace due to job dissatisfaction among registered nurses (RNs) who care for patients with cancer. We also examine intention to leave in relation to proportion of cancer patients, length of time in practice, perceived adequacy of cancer care education, and burnout. METHODS AND SAMPLE: The data originated from the Swedish component of RN4CAST, based on a survey of RNs working with in-patient care in all acute care hospitals in Sweden. The 7412 RNs reporting ≥10% patients with cancer on their unit were included in this analysis. Data were collected on perceptions of work environment, burnout, future employment intentions, and demographic characteristics. Additional questions related to cancer care. KEY RESULTS: About 1/3 of all RNs intended to leave their workplace within the next year. Intention to leave was more prevalent among RNs reporting less favourable perceptions of leadership, who had worked ≤ two years as RN, who reported having inadequate cancer care education, and with higher burnout scores. Associations between leadership and intention to leave were stronger among RNs in the profession > two years, who reported having adequate cancer care education, and with lower burnout scores. CONCLUSIONS: Perception of leadership is strongly associated with intention to leave among RNs in both specialized and general cancer care. This suggests a crucial area for improvement in order to reduce turnover rates.

Turn-over rate of academic faculty at the College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University: a 20-year analysis (1991 to 2011).

BACKGROUND: Faculty turn-over affects both workers and organizations. Turnover of faculty and researchers is increasing alarmingly and costing the universities and the country at large. Fast turnover of health professionals from the health system and from academic institutions has recently received substantial attention from both academia and health sector managers. This paper calculates the faculty turnover rate at the College of Health Sciences of Addis Ababa University during the period of September 1991 to August 2011. METHODS: The study was conducted at the College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University. Retrospective analysis of employee records was done. All records of the faculty that were working in the College during the 20-year period, starting from September 1991 to August 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Data were collected from the employee records accessed from the College's human resources database and supplemented by payroll sheets and different reports. A structured checklist was used to extract the required data from the database. The crude turnover rate for academic faculty was calculated. RESULTS: Within the 20-year period of September 1991 to August 2011, a total of 120 faculty members left. The overall turn-over rate was 92.8 %. The rate in the most recent five years (172 %) is 8.5 times higher than the rate for the first five years (20 %). The average retention period before the termination of an employment contract was 4.9 years. The top five departments where employment contracts were relatively higher include: Nursing 15 (15.6 %), Internal Medicine 12 (12.5%), Public Health 10 (10.4%), Pediatrics 9 (9.4%) and Surgery 9 (9.4%). About two thirds (66.6%) of the faculty who were leaving were at the ranks of assistant professorship and above. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that outflow of faculty has been continuously increasing in the period reviewed. This implies that the College had been losing highly skilled professionals with considerably higher costs in monetary terms. In this regard, an urgent response is required to retain or significantly decrease the outflow of faculty. Different motivation and retention mechanisms should be identified and implemented. Various modalities of faculty development programs should also be initiated.

A review of trends in attrition rates for surgical faculty: a case for a sustainable retention strategy to cope with demographic and economic realities.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to compare trends in retention of academic surgeons by reviewing surgical faculty attrition rates (leaving academic surgery for any reason) of 3 cohorts at 5-year intervals between 1996 and 2011. STUDY DESIGN: The Association of American Medical Colleges' Faculty Administrative Management On-Line User System database was queried for a retention report of all tenure/clinical track full-time MD faculty within our academic medical center on July 1, 1996 (group 1), July 1, 2001 (group 2), and July 1, 2006 (group 3). Retention was tracked for 5 years post snapshot. The individual 5-year cohort attrition rates (observed frequencies) were compared with combined attrition rates for all 3 groups (expected frequencies). RESULTS: Overall, attrition trends for groups 2 (lower) and 3 (higher) were significantly different than the trends for all groups combined. Minorities and professors at the full or associate rank in group 3 contributed to this difference. Faculty in group 3 leaving our academic medical center were significantly more likely to transition into nonacademic practice compared with the other 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Greater attrition in the last 5-year cohort, despite the increase in faculty positions, is worrisome. A continuous retention life cycle is critical if academic medical centers hope to compete for talent. Retention planning should include on-boarding programs for enculturation, monitoring of professional satisfaction, formalized mentoring of younger surgeons, retaining academic couples and a part-time workforce, leadership and talent management, exit interviews, and competitive financial packages.

Saúde da Família em grandes centros urbanos e a fixação de profissionais: o caso do Rio de Janeiro e Duque de Caxias / Family Health in large urban centers and the establishment of professionals: the case of Rio de Janeiro and Duque de Caxias

OBJETIVOS: Identificar o grau de rotatividade dos profissionais da ESF dos municípios do Rio de Janeiro e Duque de Caxias; Identificar os fatores que dificultam a fixação destes profissionais, e; Identificar as principais estratégias adotadas pelos gestores de RHS para arrefecimento da rotatividade. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Desenho do estudo Estudo exploratório, de investigação e abordagem qualitativa. Cenário do estudo Rio de Janeiro: capital; maior população do estado, concentrando 39,5%; 100% urbana e feminina (53,2%). Duque de Caxias: Baixada Fluminense; abriga 5,3% da população fluminense; prevalência da população urbana (99,7%) e feminina (51,9%). CONCLUSÃO: Incentivos que apoiem o arrefecimento da rotatividade dos profissionais; 2. Elaboração de uma política de legalização de terrenos e imóveis que abrigam USF em Duque de Caxias, atrelada a melhorias de infraestrutura; 3. Estreitamento do vínculo entre as Instituições de Ensino Superior e a rede de saúde; 4. Readequação salarial dos profissionais de Duque de Caxias, sobretudo de médicos; 5. Adotar vínculos empregatícios protegidos legalmente, inclusive para os ACS.

Variation in cancer surgical outcomes associated with physician and nurse staffing: a retrospective observational study using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination Database.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effects of professional staffing on cancer surgical outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate the association between cancer surgical outcomes and physician/nurse staffing in relation to hospital volume. METHODS: We analyzed 131,394 patients undergoing lung lobectomy, esophagectomy, gastrectomy, colorectal surgery, hepatectomy or pancreatectomy for cancer between July and December, 2007-2008, using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database linked to the Survey of Medical Institutions data. Physician-to-bed ratio (PBR) and nurse-to-bed ratio (NBR) were determined for each hospital. Hospital volume was categorized into low, medium and high for each of six cancer surgeries. Failure to rescue (FTR) was defined as a proportion of inhospital deaths among those with postoperative complications. Multi-level logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between physician/nurse staffing and FTR, adjusting for patient characteristics and hospital volume. RESULTS: Overall inhospital mortality was 1.8%, postoperative complication rate was 15.2%, and FTR rate was 11.9%. After adjustment for hospital volume, FTR rate in the group with high PBR (≥19.7 physicians per 100 beds) and high NBR (≥77.0 nurses per 100 beds) was significantly lower than that in the group with low PBR (<19.7) and low NBR (<77.0) (9.2% vs. 14.5%; odds ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.86; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Well-staffed hospitals confer a benefit for cancer surgical patients regarding reduced FTR, irrespective of hospital volume. These results suggest that consolidation of surgical centers linked with migration of medical professionals may improve the quality of cancer surgical management.

Determinants of job satisfaction among radiation therapy faculty.

Job satisfaction is one of the most significant predictors of employee retention in a variety of occupational settings, including health care and education. A national survey of radiation therapy educators (n = 90) has indicated that respondents are not satisfied with their jobs based on data collected using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ). To predict the factors associated with job satisfaction or dissatisfaction, the authors used a nine-item questionnaire derived from the MSQ. Educators were grouped according to their job satisfaction scores, and multiple discriminant analysis was used to determine which factors were predictive of satisfaction among groups of educators. Statistical results indicate that ability utilization, institutional support, compensation, personnel, and job characteristics were key determinants of job satisfaction among radiation therapy educators. These results may better inform faculty and administration of important factors that can promote job satisfaction and retain faculty in radiation therapy education programs.

The nursing workforce in Kuwait to the year 2020.

BACKGROUND: The study addresses the supply and demand for nurses in Kuwait in the light of emerging variables such as increasing population, economic growth, changes in healthcare strategies and expansion of healthcare facilities. OBJECTIVE: To project the future demand for nurses in Kuwait for the years 2007-2020 based on the period 1994-2006. METHODS: Population projections were derived using the average annual natural increase rate of the 1994-2006 populations. The future demand for nurses was projected using the average nurse to population ratios for the years 1994-2006. FINDINGS: The number of Kuwaiti indigenous nurses is declining at an average decrement rate of 3.3% per annum. There is a gap between the numbers of native and migrant nurses, which will be wider with time. In 2006, native nurses constituted only 6.6% of the nursing workforce; this affects the quality of provided health care owing to language, religions and socio-cultural barriers between foreign nurses and patients. CONCLUSIONS: The supply of indigenous nurses in Kuwait should be increased in order to deliver effective nursing care with shared culture and language in the modern healthcare system of Kuwait. This can be achieved through an improvement in recruitment and retention of indigenous nurses and nursing students.

Do general surgery applicants really want to be general surgeons?

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to compare categorical general surgery applicants with applicants in other specialties regarding their final specialty-choice ranking for residency positions. METHOD: The authors analyzed the 2004-match year applicant-pool data from the Electronic Residency Application Service and Common Application Service as well as rank-list data from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), the Urology Match Program, and the San Francisco Matching Program for 20 different specialties. Two-tailed chi-square tests measured differences between the proportions of applicants who ultimately ranked programs in categorical general surgery and each of 19 other specialties and between the proportions of U.S. students who ranked categorical general surgery and each of 19 other specialties as a non-preferred choice. A Bonferroni-adjusted alpha was set at 0.0013 to reduce the likelihood of a type I error. RESULTS: The proportion of applicants ranking each specialty ranged from 42% (786/1859) in pathology to 91% (282/31l) in neurological surgery. The proportion of categorical general surgery applicants ranking categorical general surgery programs was 51% (2004/3900), which was significantly lower than the proportions ranking 12 of 19 other specialties (each p < 0.001). Of the 2004 categorical general surgery applicants ranking categorical general surgery programs, 278 (278/2004, 14%) ranked categorical general surgery as a non-preferred specialty. Among 1230 U.S. students ranking categorical general surgery programs, 144 (12%) did so as a non-preferred specialty-a proportion significantly higher compared with U.S. students ranking 15 of 19 other specialties as non-preferred (each p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In 2004, the categorical general surgery applicant pool was relatively uncommitted to the specialty of general surgery. The number of applicants ranking categorical general surgery as a non-preferred specialty was likely even higher than these data indicate, as unmatched applicants in non-NRMP matches who then ranked categorical general surgery programs in the NRMP were tabulated by the NRMP as having ranked categorical general surgery as their preferred specialty.

A historical perspective of the radiation oncology workforce and ongoing initiatives to affect recruitment and retention.

The field of radiation oncology has become exceptionally technologically driven and multidisciplinary over the past two decades. This specialty of medicine is one that requires not only the command of highly complex modalities but also the assembly of a competent and expertly skilled team of medical professionals. Although the profession has grown tremendously in past years, the workforce has not been able to meet the demands of the practice. A significant shortage of radiation therapists, dosimetrists, and oncology nurses exists in the United States today and will almost certainly increase in severity over the next several years. A similar crisis has been seen in several other countries, most notably Canada and Australia, and has contributed to prolonged delays in cancer treatment for many patients.

[Premature departure from nursing in Germany as a growing problem for the health care system -- a review]. / Vorzeitiger Berufsausstieg aus der Pflege in Deutschland als zunehmendes Problem für den Gesundheitsdienst -- eine Ubersichtsarbeit.

There is a shortage of nursing staff in almost all of the countries in the European Union. This problem is expected to increase within the next decades as a result of demographic changes. Efforts to improve training or recruiting nurses from other countries such as future EU member states are unlikely to solve the problem. Premature departure from the nursing profession occurs more frequently than in other professional fields in Germany. There is little known about the underlying reasons of this. The authors present data regarding the early departure of nursing staff from the profession. They propose that a lengthened stay in nursing could help solve the above problem. In order for specific measures to take place (to solve this), more knowledge is needed regarding the causes and circumstances surrounding the early departure of nursing staff. This is the object of the European NEXT-Study ( http://www.next-study.net ), in which research groups from 10 European countries are taking part. Starting in Autumn 2002, between 5000 and 8000 nurses will be questioned in each of the 9 countries, in this longitudinal study. The first findings will be submitted in Summer 2003.