Demand for palliative care is expected to rise due to an ageing population, an increase in chronic diseases, and multimorbidity. Currently, many countries, including the Netherlands, are dealing... Show moreDemand for palliative care is expected to rise due to an ageing population, an increase in chronic diseases, and multimorbidity. Currently, many countries, including the Netherlands, are dealing with a high demand and shortages of professionals in the healthcare sector. Because of the different nature of providing palliative care compared to curative care and the expected increase in demand for palliative care, the focus of this thesis is to gain insight into the emotional impact of providing palliative care on healthcare professionals.This thesis highlights the emotional stressors healthcare professionals encounter in providing palliative care. Building personal relationships with patients bring both rewarding and emotionally experiences, especially when patients are dying. Among palliative care professionals higher burnout rates were found in general settings than in specialised palliative care settings, possibly due to insufficient training and attention to the emotional impact of providing palliative care in the former.Education and group meetings are seen as crucial for raising awareness and reducing stress. This thesis emphasizes the need for team and organisational support to adequately address the wellbeing of healthcare professionals in this growing field. It requires shared responsibility and action from organisations, teams and healthcare professionals to care about the care for healthcare professionals providing palliative care. Show less
The current dissertation aims to assess the well-being of Emergency Department (ED) nurses and identify (combinations of) job factors related to this. Second, it aims to evaluate the overall... Show moreThe current dissertation aims to assess the well-being of Emergency Department (ED) nurses and identify (combinations of) job factors related to this. Second, it aims to evaluate the overall effectiveness and effective elements of an intervention implementation project conducted in multiple EDs in the Netherlands. Findings show a high prevalence of stress-related outcomes in ED nurses, but also high levels of work engagement and job satisfaction. Worktime demands and aggression/conflict situations have the strongest relationship with exhaustion, whilst work engagement is mostly related to developmental opportunities. Recovery during and outside of work can buffer the impact of patient-related stressful situations. According to a literature review, interventions can effectively prevent/reduce stress-related outcomes in nurses, with person-directed interventions reaching greater short-term effects. Little is known about their longevity and only a limited number of organization-directed studies exist. The current 2,5-year (mostly organization-directed) intervention project, led to improved working conditions but not (yet) to better well-being. Greater effects were found in hospitals with more fitting interventions and were employees felt more informed about and involved in the project. Psychosocial safety climate was positively related to communication, participation and the fit of actions to the risk factors, and as such provides a good starting point for a successful intervention project. Show less
