Nurses’ Organizational Silence in Hospitals: A Grounded Theoretical Approach / 한국직업건강간호학회지

Purpose@#This study aimed to explore the constructs and context of hospital nurses’ organizational silence. @*Methods@#In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 nurses in small-middle general hospitals as well as big university hospitals. We then derived the key themes using grounded theory method. @*Results@#Nine themes and 30 sub-themes were derived: “Willing to be recognized for performance rather than saying”, “Getting used to the hard-to-speak climate”, “Face the reality that does not change when said”, “Complicated situation that prevents self-regulating decision-making”, “Conflicts that are difficult to confront”, “Unfair responsibilities that I want to evade”, “Leaders who don’t support me”, and “Being blocked in communication”. Consequently, the nurses learned to adopt a climate of silence and “learned organizational silence” behavior. They experienced that prosocial silence was essential for obtaining approval as a member of the group, and defensive silence for protecting themselves in the hierarchical structure and unfair responsibilities. Acquiescent silence originated from a futile relationship with their supervisors, one-way communications, and the unsupportive management system, in which three types of silence appeared sequentially or in combination with each other. @*Conclusion@#Based on these results, nursing managers should identify the context of nurses’ organizational silence and should lessen these silence behaviors.

Typology of Community Health Vulnerabilities and Their Effects on Health Status by Type-Using Community Health Survey

Purpose@#This study examined health determinants at a community level and put forward to a typology of five different forms of community health vulnerabilities. We also investigated the differences in the prevalence of chronic diseases, self-rated health, and quality of life (EQ-5D) among the five types. @*Methods@#Latent class analysis was applied to material, social capital, and health behavior vulnerability variables across 255 regions of South Korea. The data came from 2017 & 2019 Community Health Survey. @*Results@#We found five types of community health vulnerabilities: Type 1 group had the highest material vulnerabilities compared to Type 5. The typology was found to be significant in all the regression analysis on the prevalence of chronic diseases (hypertension and diabetes), self-rated health status, and quality of life. In the regions with high material vulnerabilities, the material vulnerability appeared the most effective to the health status of individual’s. In the other regions with less material vulnerabilities, the social capital and health behavior resources were found to be effective. @*Conclusion@#A comprehensive measure of vulnerability can be helpful to understand community health. Policy makers need to consider the level of material vulnerability when planning for a health promotion project.

A Case Study on Workers' Compensation Approval for a Hospital Nurse's Suicide / 산업간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the process from occurrence of a hospital nurse's suicide to workers' compensation approval, responses of the parties involved, issues debated during approval deliberations, and significant policy changes resulting from the incident.METHODS: We conducted in-depth interviews with involved parties and collected various documents, including newspaper articles, forum proceedings, and the agency report on determination of workers' compensation. Content analysis was performed on the collected data.RESULTS: A Joint Task Force continuously reported its progress and findings through mass media such as newspaper, radio, and TV. These activities exerted pressure on a government agency to conduct an occupational disease review and significantly impacted the workers' compensation approval. The agency recognized associations between the hospital's inadequate nurse training and the suicide but did not confirm the excessive overtime and workplace harassment experienced by the nurse as causes of the suicide. This case's media coverage and impact resulted in a law prohibiting workplace harassment and a hospital system dedicating at least one nurse to training activities.CONCLUSION: This incident had a significant social impact as the first case of workers' compensation approval for a hospital nurse's suicide. However, the case produced no structural changes in nurses' working conditions such as heavy workloads.

A Case Study on Workers' Compensation Approval for a Hospital Nurse's Suicide / 한국직업건강간호학회지

PURPOSE@#This study aimed to examine the process from occurrence of a hospital nurse's suicide to workers' compensation approval, responses of the parties involved, issues debated during approval deliberations, and significant policy changes resulting from the incident.@*METHODS@#We conducted in-depth interviews with involved parties and collected various documents, including newspaper articles, forum proceedings, and the agency report on determination of workers' compensation. Content analysis was performed on the collected data.@*RESULTS@#A Joint Task Force continuously reported its progress and findings through mass media such as newspaper, radio, and TV. These activities exerted pressure on a government agency to conduct an occupational disease review and significantly impacted the workers' compensation approval. The agency recognized associations between the hospital's inadequate nurse training and the suicide but did not confirm the excessive overtime and workplace harassment experienced by the nurse as causes of the suicide. This case's media coverage and impact resulted in a law prohibiting workplace harassment and a hospital system dedicating at least one nurse to training activities.@*CONCLUSION@#This incident had a significant social impact as the first case of workers' compensation approval for a hospital nurse's suicide. However, the case produced no structural changes in nurses' working conditions such as heavy workloads.