Empowerment of nurses' during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from nurses experiences

Résumé fourni par la source

Background: The quality of registered nurses' work environment is essential to working effectively in a crisis such as pandemics. Organizational empowerment shapes nurses' psychological experiences and how they can provide quality patient care. Despite significant evidence for nurse empowerment, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted nurses’ empowerment in the work environment in Manitoba, Canada. Nurses experienced heavy workloads, mandated overtime shifts, staffing shortages and limited resources that led to exhaustion and job dissatisfaction. Purpose: This qualitative descriptive study examined how the structural elements of organizational empowerment and psychological empowerment influenced nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Semi-structured individual virtual interviews were used to collect data from nurses in two tertiary hospitals. Framework analysis (FA) by Ritchie and Spencer (1994) were used to analyze data guided by Kanter’s (1977) Theory of Structural Empowerment and Spreitzer’s Psychological Empowerment Framework (1995). Findings: Four major themes emerged with subthemes: 1) organizational support and capacity response, 2) resilient adaptation and constrained agency, 3) work environment constraints, and 4) continuum of nurse distress and wellbeing. Overall, nurses found structural elements challenging, negatively impacting their work, wellbeing and outcomes. To better manage crises, organizational empowerment that includes in-person communication, senior leader support, crisis training, enhanced resource allocation, and mental health programs can facilitate nurses’ psychological empowerment and workforce sustainability. Conclusion: Organizations need to create workplace conditions that strengthen nurses’ empowerment during health crises. This study supports and may extend the use of Kanter’s theory from traditional work environments to challenging times such as pandemics for workforce sustainability, retention, and wellbeing. Keywords: Nurses, structural empowerment, psychological empowerment, COVID-19 pandemic

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