Title: Experiences of nurses regarding self care
Abstract:
Nurses are susceptible to high stress levels and burnout due to the various challenges they face during work. With recent research finding that nurses are more susceptible to burnout compared to other healthcare professionals, the well-being of nurses warrants attention. As one’s experience of self-care behaviours might be affected by various non-exhaustive factors, a qualitative approach was adopted to shed light on this phenomenon. In our qualitative systematic review comprising of 24 studies, the authors have uncovered three main themes exploring the experiences of self-care in nurses: 1. Being a nurse: An occupational hazard towards self-care; 2. Catalyst towards self-care; 3. Call to action. To the authors knowledge, this is the first ever systematic review that consolidated the available qualitative evidence in nurses’ self-care experience. These findings shed light on the various barriers and facilitators of self-care in nurses. Unfavourable working conditions and limited access to self-care resources often hindered nurses’ ability to prioritise self-care. In addition, a lack of awareness about the importance of self-care, together with negative influences from colleagues and supervisors, emerged as significant barriers. After realising the negative consequences of neglecting self-care, nurses were compelled to engage in self-care; this is not without support from their peers and leaders. However, nurses would still benefit from additional support (e.g. social support, self-care resources, flexible work arrangements, etc). In addition, various literature gaps were uncovered, paving the way for future research in this area. For example, self-care among nurses in more diverse cultures, as well as demographic factors (e.g. gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status) could be explored due to the lack of research in these areas.
