- Project number: F 2541
- Institution: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)
- Status: Completed Project
Description:
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has exacerbated the workload in inpatient care (hospitals, long-term care facilities) and once again made visible work design deficits. One key factor here was the further increase in work intensity due to extensive infection control measures and additional staff absenteeism as a result of illness or quarantine. Against this backdrop, a BAuA research project initiated in 2022 investigated organisational interventions to promote the health of nursing staff in crisis situations.
An interview study with nursing managers from 17 care facilities and an online survey investigated pandemic-related challenges and management strategies. The interventions identified related to occupational health and safety as well as personnel management and varied depending on the type of facility and region. A systematic review showed that evidence-based organisational interventions are primarily available for the hospital sector and often follow a multi-level approach.
Scenario workshops implemented in the project on the cornerstones of successful pandemic management in inpatient care emphasized the need for systemic interventions and highlighted success factors: internal and external communication, participation of care practitioners, regional networking and digitalisation. A survey on the use of digital technologies revealed that they were primarily used during the pandemic for knowledge management as well as control and administrative processes and that they were perceived as helpful.
The project is part of the "Infection Control/OSH Interface" of the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and provides scientific evidence as well as practical recommendations for inpatient care in crisis situations.
