Healthy nurses - Do good and talk about it!

The New Quality of Work Initiative (INQA) supports a healthy work design in nursing and care

A new quality of work in nursing

"Do good and talk about it" is yet another step by the New Quality of Work Initiative (INQA) and the German Network for Workplace Health Promotion (DNBGF) to support the implementation of quality- and health-promoting work designs in nursing and care facilities. 

  To support the implementation of these designs, INQA has made available the report "Good Solutions in Nursing and Care" drawn up in collaboration with the German Network for Workplace Health Promotion. It presents practical solutions in health- and quality-promoting work design that were successfully established in different nursing facilities in Germany. The practical aid aims, in particular, at interested parties working in hospitals, nursing homes for the elderly and ambulant nursing services.

  The report can be downloaded or ordered free of charge from the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health via e-mail at gesundpflegen@baua.bund.de or by calling +49 351 56 39-5481.

  The New Quality of Work Initiative (INQA) is a joint project of the Federal Government, the Länder, social insurance institutions and the social partners. All members of the Initiative approach the promotion of a new quality of work as a very important task, and equally common challenge for the future. More information here.  Healthy nurses are the goal of the initiative. The members of the Initiative are pursuing this goal in an environment of rapid structural change. Nurses and caregivers find themselves in an increasingly difficult position. On the one hand, an aging society places a higher demand for professional nursing and care services. On the other hand, healthcare facilities face high financial pressure and therefore often lower staff numbers - which is neither financially an appropriate long-term solution nor an employee-oriented personnel policy.

  Studies show that a high patient to nurse ratio is associated with:

• higher mortality of myocardial infarction (Schultz, van Servellen et al. 1998) and AIDS patients (Aiken, Sloane et al. 1999).
• higher rates of urinary tract infections and pneumonia (Needlemann et al. 2002)
• an increased risk of emotional exhaustion and dissatisfaction with the job (Sheward, Hunt et al. 2005)
• generally poorer health amongst nurses (Sheward, Hunt et. al. 2005)

                              ^{(International Council of Nurses 2006, Toolkit: Safe Staffing Saves Lives)}