WORK-ENVIRONMENT, SKILLS UTILIZATION AND HEALTH OF SWEDISH NURSES - RESULTS FROM A NATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY

Nurses make up a considerable proportion of the Swedish health care st aff. Few nationally representative studies of their work environment a nd health, however, have been published. The present questionnaire stu dy on work conditions, skill utilization, health and well-being of a n ational representative sample of 3,500 Swedish nurses, indicates a hig h degree of job satisfaction. Despite high satisfaction, 40% of the re spondents felt too tired after work to socialize with family and 45% h ad seriously considered quitting their jobs. Factors such as improved work climate and development of supervisory skills were suggested as p sychosocial interventions. Improvement in physical work environment fa ctors had low priority. Medical care nurses perceive a higher work loa d and higher job demands in relation to decision latitude, and geriatr ic nurses report less work development. No differences between discipl ines were found in work relations. In conclusion, there is a need to f urther develop skills development and utilization and work organizatio n. Results will be used in interventions to enhance the work environme nt for nurses.