Workloads, bullying to ‘blame’ for nurses’ poor health
Unmanageable workloads and bullying may be the reasons for the reported poor health of Australian nurses, according to health union, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF).
Kay Ross, front, evaluated the national survey on the health and wellness of nurses.
The federation expressed concern at a new Southern Cross University research, released this week, which revealed the extent of health issues suffered by Australia’s ageing nursing workforce.
The research claimed nurses should be role models for the patients they care for by making good lifestyle choices themselves, but the findings showed many Australian nurses had in fact failed their own health check.
Kay Ross and Dr Jennie Barr, from the School of Health and Human Sciences, evaluated the national survey on the health and wellness of nurses.
The results suggested the overall health of nurses fell between ‘poor’ and ‘average’. Only a small number believed their overall health was ‘good’ or ‘very good’.
More than 6,000 nurses responded to the survey from all states and territories across Australia.
“Not surprisingly, many nurses feel they are ‘unhealthy’ with stress identified as the biggest contributing factor to obesity, hypertension, respiratory disease, musculoskeletal problems, being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and ‘not looking after myself properly’,” Ms Ross said.
Bullying was also identified as a workplace issue that contributed to stress and being unhealthy.
Lee Thomas, ANMF federal secretary, said it was “imperative” that nurses can go to work assured they are safe from violence and abuse, and that their workloads are manageable with regular breaks.
By 2025, there will be a shortage of 109,000 nurses. In aged care alone, the workforce must reportedly triple in size by 2050 to meet the challenges of an ageing population.
“That’s why we need to start building a nursing workforce for the future, giving graduates the education and experience they need to become the senior nurses of tomorrow, and ensure those already in the workforce are healthy, well remunerated and retained,” Ms Thomas said.
Many respondents were also concerned about the number of nurses aged over 50 years working part time and looking at retirement within the next 10 years.
According to census data from 2005, 35% of registered nurses were aged over 50 years, while the average age of a registered nurse is now 45 years.
The survey also showed many nurses reported having a chronic illness that resulted in them needing to take time off work in the past 12 months.
The ANMF is now calling on federal Health Minister, Peter Dutton, to respond to the survey results by meeting with the ANMF and other stakeholders to urgently develop a workforce strategy to combat Australia’s nursing crisis.
The report is titled ‘Primary health care for nurses: Developing strategies for the Prevention of Chronic Illness in Nurses’.
