"We just take care after each other": Relational health strategies of nurses and nursing aides working in residential long-term care as a mechanism of in- and exclusion in care teams.
Saskia Elise Duijs, Martine van Wees, Tineke Abma and 6 others
PMID 38363626WHAT IT FOUND
Women in long-term care teams said they had to be sick before self-care was accepted.
They protected their health by relying on colleagues, but teams could exclude those who did not fit the ideal worker norm.
Key findings
01Participants described a workplace norm in which self-care was taboo until illness or burnout made it legitimate.
02In response to little organizational care, care workers relied on colleagues to protect, support, and maintain their health.
03This mutual care could exclude workers who did not fit the ideal-worker norm, and exclusion was reported to worsen health.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample of women hired employees, mostly white Dutch-majority workers, so it does not show how men, self-employed workers, or other groups experience these dynamics. The study focused on residential long-term care in the Netherlands, so it may not transfer to other care settings or countries. Interviews were conducted before the pandemic, and the authors say pandemic-era team dynamics may differ but need more evidence. The study describes workers' experiences; it does not test whether any intervention improves worker or patient health.
Declared interests
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the teams' mutual support as an effective intervention for worker health. The study describes experiences and shows the same support can exclude colleagues who cannot meet the ideal-worker norm.