NURSES’ PERCEPTION ON THE USE OF VOLUNTEERS IN THE INPATIENT HOSPITAL SETTING: A DESCRIPTIVE QUALITATIVE STUDY.

Abstract

Background: With the aging population, the demand for healthcare services is increasing rapidly. Nurses face heavy workload and the quality of patient care may be affected. The use of volunteers to assist nurses has not been studied in the acute hospital setting in Singapore. This may lead to role conflicts and ineffective engagement of volunteers. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore nurses’ perception of volunteerism in the acute hospital setting. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using focus group discussions. 24 nurses from a variety of disciplines participated. Maximum variation sampling was conducted until data saturation was achieved. Audiotaped interviews were transcribed verbatim and field notes were incorporated. Thematic analysis was performed to identify significant themes and subthemes. Results: Six themes and 12 subthemes emerged from the thematic analysis. They illustrated that nurses in the acute setting generally welcomed volunteers as they benefited both patients and nurses. However, nurses felt that volunteers’ roles could be expanded to make them more useful through adequate training. This may improve nurses’ attitudes towards volunteers and increase volunteer retention. Discussion: The findings of this study are similar to that conducted in other countries due to the heavy workload that nurses face. Volunteers allowed nurses to perform nursing tasks and increase patient satisfaction with the quality of care. Similar with the literature, nurses felt that volunteers must also undergo training, as viii they may not have prior knowledge and must be acknowledged to increase volunteer retention. Conclusion and Implications for Nursing: This study presented nurses’ perception on the use of volunteers in the acute hospital setting. It suggests that hospital should have an inclusive attitude towards volunteers and clearly define volunteers’ roles to improve volunteer retention. Appropriate training could prepare more effective volunteers who can better complement nurses in the acute setting.