Strategies to promote nurses ' health: A qualitative study with student nurses

Bak, Marieke; Hoyle, Louise; Mahoney, Catherine; Kyle, Richard G

Abstract

Developing strategies to support student nurses' health is a global priority for healthcare organisations and governments. This is because emerging international evidence indicates that improvements in student nurses' health are required to increase the longevity of careers and reduce the loss of time, skill and financial cost of sickness absence and workforce exit. However, we do not know what intervention strategies student nurses think would support their health. The study aim was to explore student nurses' views on factors that influence health-related behaviours and strategies that could improve health. Data were collected through participatory activities during focus groups with student nurses in Scotland. Analysis was theoretically informed and involved mapping to the Behaviour Change Wheel framework. Students identified several factors that influenced health-related behaviours. Four were ranked most important: knowledge, culture, time constraints, and stress. Strategies student nurses thought should be prioritised to improve nurses' health-related behaviours were: stimulating a health-promoting environment by reviewing shift work, improving workplace support, increasing staffing levels, subsidising and role-modelling of healthy food and exercise; and creating applied health-promoting curricula by integrating time and stress management training and lifestyle advice into nursing education. Educational and environmental interventions are needed to support student nurses’ health.

Citation

Bak, M., Hoyle, L., Mahoney, C., & Kyle, R. G. (2020). Strategies to promote nurses ' health: A qualitative study with student nurses. Nurse Education in Practice, 48, Article 102860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102860

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 13, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Aug 16, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-10
• Deposit Date: Nov 26, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 26, 2020
• Journal: Nurse Education in Practice
• Print ISSN: 1471-5953
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 48
• Article Number: 102860
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102860
• Keywords: Focus Groups; Health Promotion; Health Behaviour Taxonomy Caring Science, Classroom Participation, Distributed Learning Environment, Formal Learning Environment, Informal Learning Environment, Student-Centred Learning Environment Manuscript category Regul
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2655629