Work Ability and Health Promotion Offers needed by Healthcare Personnel in Germany: Results of an Expert Survey

Abstract

The burden on nursing staff in Germany is continuously increasing. Specific health promotion programs can help to reduce this burden. To develop such programs, the concrete needs of nurses for instructions and training have to be determined. The aim of the project "PFLEGEprevent" (funded by the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit und Pflege) is to develop a prevention program that focuses on the special needs of the nursing staff. The project is structured in four subprojects: (1) identification of needs, workloads and occupational challenges of caregivers and the scientific evidence (national expert survey and systematic literature review), (2) development of a specific prevention program, (3) implementation and evaluation of the prevention program (Intervention study; DRKS00012870), (4) development of a manual to instruct the implementation of the prevention program (transferability). In subproject (1) the current subjective work ability of the nursing staff in Germany and their need for preventive offers were revealed by a national expert survey. The survey was directed to nurses in outpatient, semi-inpatient and inpatient care facilities and clinics. In addition to personal information and questions on current work and organization, the subjective work ability of the nurses (based on the Work Ability Index, WAI) and the need for preventive offers were queried. A total of 1381 questionnaires were analysed. The majority of surveyed healthcare staff was female (81%). On average they were 40.1 years old (SD=12.0) and had worked in the care sector for 16.3 years (SD=10.9). The mean of the WAI score was 37.2 (SD=7.1) points, which indicates a good work ability. However, there were differences in work ability between types of institution and number of years in job. The care staff needed instructions mainly on the topics of stress, communication and teamwork. Active training was required for relaxation, back muscle training and strengthening. 75% of respondents said they would participate in a 5-day prevention program.