ABSTRACT
Background: Workplace conflict is common among nurses globally. Learning how to manage it may reduce related adverse consequences.Inappropriate management of conflict is attributed to decreased productivity, poor morale and financial loss for organisations. Nurse unit managers can play a key role by effectively managing workplace conflict in the units.Aims and objectives:To explore how nurse unit managers managed conflict in public hospitals. Subsequently to make recommendations on how to optimise conflict management skills of nurse unit managers.Methods: A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual study was conducted to explore how nurse unit managers managed conflict based on a scenario provided to them. Purposive sampling was used to select nurse unit managers working in three public hospitals. Eleven nurse unit managers participated in the study. Data was collected in two phases. In phase one; a conflict scenario was developed in consultation with experienced nurse managers. The conflict scenario was used during phase two, which involved individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews with nurse unit managers until data saturation.Tesch's method of thematic synthesis was utilised to analyse data. Literature review was undertaken to ascertain what is considered as an appropriate intervention in conflict management.Findings: Three themes emanated: nurse unit managers managed conflict appropriately, nurse unit managers avoided the conflict and nurse unit managers managed conflict inappropriately.Conclusion: While some of the nurse unit managers managed conflict appropriately, additional and continuous education and training is required to optimise the capacity and develop their conflict management competency. The findings could be integrated into orientation, training and preparation of nurse managers by healthcare organisations and educational institutions
Subject(s)
Conflict, Psychological , Disease Management , Hospitals, Public , Nursing Stations , South AfricaABSTRACT
This paper attempted to educate the reader about the shortage of nursing staff and how it affects Bayelsa State's health sector. Bayelsa State like any other state in Nigeria has enormous health challenges associated with manpower shortage. Bayelsa's situation is unique because of its terrain. Some factors such as cost of river transport; insecurity of lives and properties due to incessant attacks from sea pirates; poor housing; lack of portable water; deplorable state of hospitals and health centres; erratic or lack of power supply; inadequate nursing personnel; and uneven distribution of the few nurses available; were identified to be peculiar with Bayelsa terrain. This consequently resulted in increased nurse- patient load; risk for error; infection spread; high mortality rate; quackery and chances of nurses being over stressed. Recommendation such as increase in the rural posting allowance for nurses; provision of social amenities in rural areas; employment of more nurses from various states of the federation among others were made