Occupational Precariousness of Nursing Staff in Catalonia's Public and Private Nursing Homes

Abstract

Abstract: Nursing sta who provide care in the nursing homes of Catalonia have more precarious work conditions, including more demanding schedules and work overload, than those in other areas of care. This situation entails two major problems: Detrimental health results for nurses who face psychosocial and physical risks and a negative impact on the care provided to patients, with a decrease in the quality of care. This study aimed to describe the precarious employment situation of nursing sta in nursing homes. We carried out a descriptive study based on the employment precariousness scale (EPRES), which was administered to a sample of 239 nurses and nursing assistants working in public and private nursing homes in Catalonia. The highest level of job insecurity occurred among nursing assistants and in privately managed nursing homes. The precariousness of the working conditions of nursing sta poses a risk both to the workers themselves and to the people they tend to. For this reason, there is a need for greater knowledge on the scale of the problem and the implementation of appropriate legislative measures to alleviate it.

This research was funded by the College of Nursing of Lleida, the Council of Nursing of Catalonia, and the University of Lleida, grant number 089352. We gratefully acknowledge all the participants in this study and UBiostat Unit in Institute of Biomedical Research in Lleida for supporting data analysis.