Work Environment: Training Nursing Managers to Change Operational Practice

Abstract

The processes redesign is still a topic little discussed today within the care context. It promotes reflections on activities that really add value to the client and impact on the quality of care offered by the nursing staff. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the nursing staff work environment by applying the “Nursing Practice Work Environment Scale [PESNWI]”. The IQG Nursing Certification Program discusses the redesign of the care model based on conditions in the workplace to which nursing is inserted. A cross-sectional research was conducted with a quantitative approach in nursing professionals at a Brazilian general hospital, enrolled in the IQG Nursing Certification Program. The analyzed institution has 744 nursing professionals, with the participation of 60.6% of its total. The research used comparative analysis between management and care positions. Results differ from other national studies of the same nature in hospital settings. In general, the nursing practice environment composition was considered as favorable. The unfavorable dimensions to nursing practice are linked to the management and leadership of the head nurse, observed by their fragility as care coordinators. Another point to consider is the collaborative nature of the relationship between nurses and other team members, as well as their impact on their members’ autonomy and status in the organization. The work environment perception declared by the nurse managers and the care team is significantly different, which disadvantages the implementation of effective practices of professional repositioning before the multi-professional team and senior institutional management. Significant changes in care practices are understood to occur when the nursing managers understands their role in the team and the real practical problems of daily life, acting in a participatory manner with their team, strengthening the functional autonomy of all professionals