A Dimensional Analysis of Nursing Unit Culture

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Adv Nurs
• Personal Author:
  LEEP-LAZAR, Kathryn ; STIMPFEL, Amy Witkoski
• Description:
  Aim(s):
  
  Organizational culture has been studied for over four decades among nurses, across countries and contexts. However, wide variation exists in how the concept has been defined and at what level of the organization it is measured. The aim of this study was to use a dimensional analysis to conduct a conceptual synthesis of unit culture from a nursing perspective.
  
  Design:
  
  Dimensional analysis, rooted in grounded theory methodology, was used to describe unit culture from a nursing perspective.
  
  Methods:
  
  A literature search was conducted in April 2022. Inclusion criteria were (1) peer review publications, (2) used the term “unit culture” or “ward culture”, (3) references nurses’ role in unit culture, (4) published in the last 20 years, and (5) written in English. Ninety-four articles met inclusion criteria, but dimensional saturation was researched after coding 22 articles.
  
  Results:
  
  Findings were synthesized into four core dimensions and 10 subdimensions. Dimensions of unit culture included customs (practice norms, communication, and prioritization), shared beliefs (assumptions, values, and attitudes), hierarchy (social and informational), and atmosphere (emotional climate and collaboration). Conditions that shape unit culture include individual nurse characteristics, working conditions, unit policies/procedures, and leadership. Unit culture impacts nurse work experiences and decision-making processes, which can affect outcomes including nurse wellbeing, practice behaviors, and adherence to unit policies.
  
  Conclusions:
  
  Identifying the dimensions of unit culture helps to bring clarity to a concept that is not well-defined in existing literature.
  
  Impact:
  
  This model of unit culture can be used to guide development of new instruments to measure unit culture or guide researchers in utilizing existing measures. Developing measures specific to unit culture are warranted to strengthen researchers’ ability to assess how changing conditions of a unit (e.g., leadership, workload) changes unit culture and its related outcomes.
  
  Patient or Public Contribution:
  
  No Patient or Public Contribution
  
  
• Subjects:
  Attitude Of Health Personnel Grounded Theory Humans Leadership Nursing Staff, Hospital Organizational Culture
• Source:
  J Adv Nurs. 80(7):2746-2757
• Pubmed ID:
  37994224
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11109012
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  T42 OH008422/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; T42OH008422/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; T42-OH-008422/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  80
• Issue:
  7
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e66e2d754c8b5ce6c52f0d318ad1b66e4062fd76ac56efbd26bd8c27c2d49d2ab5ab029553fd664a86c8e382fbd1cfbd97bee6b00fd7b096995a461ee72d34e4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/157014/cdc_157014_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 908.63 KB ]