| Purpose:To investigate the contemporary factors that influence nurses’ capacity to self-manage their own health and safety in the workplace,nurse managers’ attitudes towards nurse workplace health and safety and patient safety,and to identify strategies that nurses and nurse managers use in preserving nurse health and safety and promoting a healthy nursing workplace.Methods:This qualitative study utilizes the Delphi Technique and thematic Analysis,with 41 key informants in the panel consisting of 15 registered nurses(36.59%),13 nurse managers(31.71%),9 nursing students(21.95%)and 4 nursing faculties(9.76%).The NGOs employees accounted for 31.71%of the key informants.The study included four main steps and methods to achieve trustworthiness integrated within this research;peer review was applied to all questionnaires;the Round Three questionnaire was validated at(0.914)and Likert-Scale calculated accordingly.Kruskal-Wallis test and ANOVA using SPSS 17 was applied to quantitative data from the Likert-Scale and to find differences between respondent groups.Results:Of the 50 respondents recruited,41 completed all Delphi rounds.Most respondents agreed that(1)nurses understand the importance of their own health and safety,but they think their workplace does not guarantee nurses’ safety;(2)nurse managers should act to protect nurses as they have some power to so as part of their role.However both nurses and nurse managers believe that individuals must rely on themselves to avoid workplace hazards;and identified hospital policies,disempowerment,workload and workplace conflicts as major obstacles that cause health and safety risks to nurses.Conclusion:The current study explored the reality of Chinese nurses’ workplace health and safety and found gaps in understanding among different staff categories in identifying risks,implementing safety protocols and promoting nurses’ workplace health and safety.The results demonstrate the unique experiences and feelings of nurses,faculty and nurse managers about the status of their profession and their own contribution to workplace health and safety. |
