Jennifer Jackson1, Janet E Anderson2, Jill Maben3. 1. Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA UK. Electronic address: jennifer.jackson@kcl.ac.uk. 2. Professor of Quality of Care for Older People, School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB UK. Electronic address: janet.anderson@city.ac.uk. 3. School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Duke of Kent Building, Guildford, GU2 7XH UK. Electronic address: j.maben@surrey.ac.uk.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is ample evidence that modern nurses are under strain and that interventions to support the nursing workforce have not recognised the complexity inherent in nursing work. Creating a modern model of nursing work may assist nurses in developing workable solutions to professional problems. A new model may also foster cohesion among broad and diverse nursing roles. AIM: The aim of this meta-narrative review was to investigate how researchers, using different methods and theoretical approaches, have contributed to the understanding of nursing work. METHODS: A meta-narrative review was done to evaluate the trajectory of nursing work research, from 1953 to present. This review progressed through the stages of planning, searching, mapping, appraisal, and synthesis. FINDINGS: A total of 121 articles were included in this meta-narrative review. These articles revealed five narratives of nursing work, where work is conceptualised as labour. These narratives were physical labour (n = 14), emotional (n = 53), cognitive (n = 24), and organisational (n = 1), and combinations of more than one type of labour (n = 29 articles). The paradigms identified in the meta-narrative were the positivist, interpretive, critical, and evidence-based paradigms. Each article in the review corresponded with a paradigm and a labour narrative, creating a comprehensive model. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing work can be understood as a model of physical, emotional, cognitive, and organisational labour. These different types of labour may be hidden and taken for granted. Nurses can use this model to articulate what they do and how it supports patient safety. Nurses can also advocate for staffing allocations that consider all types of nursing labour. Tweetable abstract Nursing work is complex and includes physical, emotional, cognitive, and organisational labour. Staffing needs to take all nursing labour into account.
BACKGROUND: There is ample evidence that modern nurses are under strain and that interventions to support the nursing workforce have not recognised the complexity inherent in nursing work. Creating a modern model of nursing work may assist nurses in developing workable solutions to professional problems. A new model may also foster cohesion among broad and diverse nursing roles. AIM: The aim of this meta-narrative review was to investigate how researchers, using different methods and theoretical approaches, have contributed to the understanding of nursing work. METHODS: A meta-narrative review was done to evaluate the trajectory of nursing work research, from 1953 to present. This review progressed through the stages of planning, searching, mapping, appraisal, and synthesis. FINDINGS: A total of 121 articles were included in this meta-narrative review. These articles revealed five narratives of nursing work, where work is conceptualised as labour. These narratives were physical labour (n = 14), emotional (n = 53), cognitive (n = 24), and organisational (n = 1), and combinations of more than one type of labour (n = 29 articles). The paradigms identified in the meta-narrative were the positivist, interpretive, critical, and evidence-based paradigms. Each article in the review corresponded with a paradigm and a labour narrative, creating a comprehensive model. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing work can be understood as a model of physical, emotional, cognitive, and organisational labour. These different types of labour may be hidden and taken for granted. Nurses can use this model to articulate what they do and how it supports patient safety. Nurses can also advocate for staffing allocations that consider all types of nursing labour. Tweetable abstract Nursing work is complex and includes physical, emotional, cognitive, and organisational labour. Staffing needs to take all nursing labour into account.
Authors: Anna Conolly; Ruth Abrams; Emma Rowland; Ruth Harris; Keith Couper; Daniel Kelly; Bridie Kent; Jill Maben Journal: Glob Qual Nurs Res Date: 2022-05-04