A1 Journal article (refereed)
Intensified job demands in healthcare and their consequences for employee well‐being and patient satisfaction : a multilevel approach (2021)

Huhtala, M., Geurts, S., Mauno, S., & Feldt, T. (2021). Intensified job demands in healthcare and their consequences for employee well‐being and patient satisfaction : a multilevel approach. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(9), 3718-3732. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14861

JYU authors or editors

Herttalampi, Mari
Mauno, Saija
Feldt, Taru

Publication details

All authors or editors: Huhtala, Mari; Geurts, Sabine; Mauno, Saija; Feldt, Taru

Journal or series: Journal of Advanced Nursing

ISSN: 0309-2402

eISSN: 1365-2648

Publication year: 2021

Publication date: 28/05/2021

Volume: 77

Issue number: 9

Pages range: 3718-3732

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14861

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/76135

Abstract

Aims
Intensified job demands (IJDs) and their effects on employee burnout, work engagement and patient satisfaction were investigated across different work units and occupational groups in a healthcare setting.

Design
A multilevel study.

Methods
One thousand twenty-four healthcare employees responded to a survey in 2019 and rated their experiences of IJDs, burnout and work engagement. Nine hundred fifty-one patients rated their satisfaction with care received from healthcare staff.

Results
Work units and occupational groups who shared more experiences of increased time pressure and multitasking reported higher exhaustion. Shared perceptions of increased planning and performing one's work autonomously correlated with higher exhaustion and lower patient satisfaction at the work-unit level. Moreover, work intensification was found to be highest in emergency care and among nurses, while job-related planning demands were highest in leadership services.

Conclusion
IJDs are a shared risk to employee well-being among heterogeneous healthcare staff and relate negatively to customer-rated patient satisfaction. We found that high time-pressure demands increase the shared risk of burnout—especially among nurses and healthcare staff working in emergency care. Furthermore, increased independence and self-determination in planning and executing work tasks also increase the shared risk of burnout especially among those in leadership services. This can lead to lower customer/care satisfaction among patients.

Impact
With the accelerating pace of socio-economic change, the pace of work is also getting faster. Our findings help understand how IJDs are experienced among heterogeneous healthcare staff. Because different occupational groups and work units had different demands, this research shows that attempts to mitigate the negative effects of IJDs need to be planned and implemented in a context-specific way. It seems crucial to pay more attention especially to adequate nurse staffing so that the adverse effects of IJDs could be mitigated among them.

Keywords: nursing sector; nursing (work); demands; work burden; nurses; practical nurses; managers and executives; exhaustion; well-being at work; work satisfaction; committing oneself; customer satisfaction