Purpose
There is scarce research on age and sustainable employability of nurses working in various types of work schedules. Earlier research showed that nurses working in work schedules differ ...regarding age. Different operationalisations of age might explain variations in sustainable employability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate how nurses working in various types of work schedule differ regarding sustainable employability, and the role that age plays in these differences. Age was defined as chronological age, organisational age, life-span age, and functional age.
Method
Questionnaires were distributed to 974 Dutch nurses in residential elder care (response rate 51 %) with questions about the type of work schedule, aspects of sustainable employability, various operationalisations of age, and registered sickness absence data were used.
Results
Nurses working in various types of work schedules differed regarding aspects of sustainable employability, also when operationalisations of age were added. The ‘life-span age’ was directly related to aspects of sustainable employability. Statistically, work ability and job satisfaction were only explained by varying operationalisations of age.
Conclusions
Nurses’ sustainable employability appeared to be mainly related to differences between the types of work schedule rather than age. Fixed early shifts are characterised by the most positive aspects of sustainable employability, and three rotating schedules score worst. To improve sustainable employability, organisations should implement a system in which nurses with different types of work schedule are monitored in combination with their life-span perspective.
School attendance is crucial for the development of a child. Sickness absence is the most common type of absenteeism and can be a red flag for underlying problems. To address sickness absence, the ...intervention Medical Advice for Sick-reported Students for Primary School (MASS-PS) was recently developed. It targets children at risk and is a school-based child and youth health care intervention. The present study is a process evaluation of the intervention. MASS-PS was implemented and evaluated in 29 schools in the West-Brabant region of the Netherlands, during three school years (2017-2020). Attendance coordinators (ACs) from the different schools were interviewed in six focus group interviews as well as in over 200 individual conversations, of which logbooks were kept. Content analysis was used based on a framework of implementation elements. During the first year of the study, the uptake was low. Changes were made by the project group to improve the uptake. The ACs generally considered the MASS-PS as compatible and relevant, but suggested improvements by adding a medical consultation function with a child and youth healthcare physician and increasing the threshold for selecting children at risk. They saw several personal benefits, although time was necessary to learn to use the intervention. An organisational barrier was the lack of teaching staff. A strength in the organisational structure was the appointment of ACs. A major event in the sociological structure was the COVID-19 pandemic. ACs felt that the intervention helped them keep track of sickness absence during the pandemic. The Medical Advice for Sick-reported Students for Primary School intervention was implemented successfully, and the process evaluation gave insight into possible improvements.
School absenteeism and its underlying causes can have negative effects on the cognitive, psychosocial and health development of a child. Research in primary education shows high rates of sickness ...absence. Many stakeholders are involved in addressing school absenteeism, including primary school professionals, child and youth healthcare physicians, school attendance officers and parents. This study explores these stakeholders' perspectives, their approaches and what they envisage to be necessary in order to improve. It also aims to unveil opportunities and challenges in addressing sickness absence among primary school pupils. Qualitative research was performed with six semi-structured focus group interviews and involving 27 participants from the West-Brabant and Amsterdam regions of the Netherlands. Thematic analysis was used. The overarching theme was aiming for the child's wellbeing. Each focus group interview started with low awareness of sickness absence as a threat to this wellbeing, but awareness grew during the interviews. The participating stakeholders regarded problematic sickness absence as complex due to a wide variety of causes, and felt that each other's expertise was necessary to reduce sickness absence. Schools registered absence, but only occasionally used planned steps; they based the identification of problematic sickness on gut feeling rather than any agreed-upon criteria. To be able to systematically address sickness absence and thus improve the wellbeing of children, stakeholders felt the need for a clearly structured approach, including monitoring of sickness absence of all pupils, identifying problematic absence and promoting collaboration with other stakeholders. An approach should allow for tailoring solutions to the individual child.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Empirical research on Karasek's job demand–control (JD‐C) model has often failed to demonstrate the predicted interaction effect of high job demands and low job control on measures of strain. It has ...been suggested that the conceptualization of the control dimension as well as the neglect of workers' individual characteristics in the JD‐C model may be responsible for its relative lack of empirical support. In the current study among 367 Dutch nurses from 18 intensive care units, a more focused measure of control was used. In addition, two individual characteristics (i.e. active coping and need for control) were included as potential moderators in the JD‐C model. The demand‐control interaction effect as predicted by the JD‐C model could not be demonstrated. However, active coping turned out to moderate the interaction between job demands and job control. A misfit between level of control and individual coping style intensified the stress‐enhancing effect of job demands. Further research on the extension of the JD‐C model with personal characteristics is recommended.
In the Netherlands, absenteeism and reduced productivity due to work disability lead to high yearly costs reaching almost 5% of the gross national product. To reduce the economic burden of sick leave ...and reduced productivity, different employability interventions for work-disabled employees or employees at risk of work disability have been developed. Within this study, called 'CASE-study' (Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Sustainable Employability), five different employability interventions directed at work disabled employees with divergent health complaints will be analysed on their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. This paper describes a consistent and transparent methodological design to do so.
Per employability intervention 142 participants are needed whereof approximately 66 participants receiving the intervention will be compared with 66 participants receiving usual care. Based on the intervention-specific characteristics, a randomized control trial or a quasi-experiment with match-criteria will be conducted. Notwithstanding the study design, eligible participants will be employees aged 18 to 63, working at least 12 h per week, and at risk of work disability, or already work-disabled due to medical restrictions. The primary outcome will be the duration of sick leave. Secondary outcomes are health status and quality of life. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and then 6, 12 and 18 months later. Economic costs will consist of healthcare costs and cost of lost production due to work disability, and will be evaluated from a societal perspective.
The CASE-study is the first to conduct economic evaluations of multiple different employability interventions based on a similar methodological framework. The cost-effectiveness results for every employability intervention will be published in 2014, but the methods, strengths and weaknesses of the study protocol are discussed in this paper. To contribute to treatment options in occupational health practice and enable the development of guidelines on how to conduct economic evaluation better suited to this field; this paper provides an important first step.
Four trials involved in the CASE-study are registered with the Netherlands Trial Registry: Care for Work (NTR2886), Health and Motion (NTR3111), Guidance to Excel in Return to Work (NTR3151), Care for Companies/Second Care (NTR3136).
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Title. Nurses' satisfaction with shiftwork and associations with work, home and health characteristics: a survey in the Netherlands.
Aim. This paper is a report of a study conducted to determine if ...satisfaction with irregular working hours that are a form of shiftwork operates as a mediator between work and home characteristics and health problems.
Background. Shiftwork contributes to health problems, decreased well‐being and poorer health habits. It also affects employees’ decisions to leave the healthcare sector. Although many nurses voluntarily work shifts, there have been few studies of their satisfaction with irregular working hours when these are a form of shiftwork.
Methods. A survey was carried out with 144 nurses working in three nursing homes and one care home in the Netherlands. Questionnaires were distributed in 2003 to 233 nurses who worked shifts (response rate 60%). The questionnaire contained items on work and home characteristics, satisfaction with irregular working hours that are a form of shiftwork and health. A new scale to measure satisfaction with irregular working hours was constructed.
Results. All work characteristics, but no home characteristics, were associated with satisfaction with irregular working hours. The work characteristics ‘job demands’ and the home characteristics ‘autonomy at home’ and ‘home demands’ were associated with health. Satisfaction with irregular working hours did not mediate between work/home characteristics and health. Those reporting more social support, lower job demands and more job autonomy were more satisfied with their irregular working times that were a form of shiftwork.
Conclusions. Satisfaction with irregular working hours is a useful construct that requires further longitudinal study. The results also underline the importance of considering home characteristics when predicting health outcomes.
Samenvatting
Inleiding
Om de kwetsbaarheid van werknemers met chronische aandoeningen te verkleinen is een
stepped care
-interventie ontwikkeld, bestaande uit vier onderdelen: een e‑health Werkscan ...met gepersonaliseerde feedback, met optioneel de keus om gebruik te maken van een informatieve online gids, een helpdesk en een Werkscan-gesprek met een arbeidsdeskundige. Doel van dit onderzoek was om belemmerende factoren voor deelname aan te wijzen en tevredenheid over deze interventie te evalueren.
Methoden
De data werden verzameld door een Werkscan-gesprek af te nemen, naast aanvullende online vragenlijsten aan de start van het onderzoek en drie maanden erna. De deelnemers voldeden aan de volgende inclusiecriteria: tussen de 18 en 65 jaar oud, werkend (betaald werk en/of vrijwilligerswerk) en behorend tot de doelgroep mensen met chronische nieraandoeningen, sarcoïdose, neurofibromatose, chronische hoofdpijn, hiv en/of taaislijmziekte.
Resultaten
De deelnemers (
n
= 84) hebben zeer beperkt gebruikgemaakt van de gids, helpdesk en het gesprek met een arbeidsdeskundige. De deelnemers die dit gesprek wel hadden beoordeelden het met een gemiddeld rapportcijfer van 8,6.
Conclusie
Om interventies voor kwetsbare werknemers te laten slagen moeten ze gefinancierd worden aangeboden, op maat worden gemaakt (
tailored
) en gericht (
targeted
) onder de aandacht worden gebracht.
Abstract
With the increased attention on labour market participation, the field of work reintegration support has grown dramatically. In order to improve professionals' performance, standards and ...performance measures are introduced in this field. We question whether this will improve the quality of their work. Closer scrutiny needs to be paid to the inherently normative and structuring role of professional judging. We applied the concept of ‘frames of reference’ to the process of professional judgement in work reintegration. This concept helped us to understand how a work reintegration professional structures a client's story through implicit rules that escape formalization and control mechanisms. On the basis of 24 in‐depth interviews with diverse work reintegration professionals in the
N
etherlands, we distinguish five of these frames: a procedural, a work‐focused, a caring, a learning and a facilitating frame of reference. Furthermore, we show that professionals differ widely in the images they have of clients, leading to a large variety in judgement of, and interaction with, clients. Though differences between professionals are inherent to a complex and dynamic field as work reintegration, the current variety in professional‐client contact in work reintegration seems to depend too much on arbitrary professional preferences. Therefore, reflection on these differences, both among professionals and by policymakers, is needed in order to improve the professional practice of work reintegration service.
Well‐being of intensive care nurses (WEBIC): a job analytic approach
Aims of the study. This paper presents the results of a validation study of the so‐called well‐being of intensive care nurses ...(WEBIC)‐questionnaire that is designed to perform a detailed job analysis of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses’ jobs.
Background. The WEBIC‐questionnaire is based on modern sociotechnical systems theory, and distinguishes four integrated task categories: (1) operational, (2) organizing, (3) preparatory, and (4) supportive tasks. For each task, the WEBIC assesses (1) how demanding this task is, and (2) how satisfying the performance of this task is. Using the WEBIC, information is gathered about ICU nurses’ qualitative workload, and typical job‐related risks for ICU nurses’ well‐being at work can be mapped.
Methods. A cross‐sectional survey on work and well‐being of almost 2000 ICU‐nurses in 13 different European areas was conducted. Exploratory factor analyses were performed to study the validity of the factorial structure of the WEBIC‐questionnaire. The construct validity of the WEBIC‐questionnaire was studied by performing hierarchical multiple regression analyses of the WEBIC‐factors on two types of job‐related well‐being, i.e. burnout and general job satisfaction.
Results. Results of the exploratory factor analyses showed that the hypothesized four‐factor structure of the WEBIC is confirmed by our data. Internal consistencies of the different factors varied from 0·77 to 0·91. Intensive care unit nurses’ most central (operational) tasks turned out to pose the greatest demands, but also seemed to drive their satisfaction. With respect to the relationships between the four WEBIC‐factors, and burnout and general job satisfaction, it was found that, especially for the satisfying tasks, significant relationships with these outcomes were found.
Conclusion. The reliability and construct validity of the WEBIC‐questionnaire can be considered satisfactory. Furthermore, the questionnaire provides a systematical and detailed coverage of ICU nurses’ tasks. In relation to this, the questionnaire is not only useful for scientific purposes but also for practical use.
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