Study: Patient Care and Staff Wellbeing Inextricably Linked

A study performed by the National Nursing Research Unit at King's College, London, suggests that happier clinical staff provide better patient care. 

The researchers analyzed nursing teams and patient units in eight case studies, associating individual staff and patients whenever possible. They also performed direct care observation, interviews with managers, patients and staff and conducted surveys with patients, nurses and physicians. 

 

Patients were asked to judge care as good or bad, based on how they felt they had been cared for. Caregivers were asked to rate their own wellbeing, which included job satisfaction, feelings and responses at work, motivation and level of emotional exhaustion. 

 

In all cases, patients who felt that the staff had connected with them were more satisfied with the care experience. Staff that connected well also rated themselves high in wellbeing, suggesting that workplace environment indirectly shapes the patient experience.