Developing a core outcome set for capturing and measuring nurse wellbeing

Klepacz, Naomi (2024) Developing a core outcome set for capturing and measuring nurse wellbeing. RCN International Research Conference, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom. 10 - 12 Sep 2024.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Other)

Abstract

Background & aim: nurse wellbeing is an important indicator of the state of the nursing workforce. Poor nurse wellbeing negatively impacts patient care quality and satisfaction, leading to poor job satisfaction and workforce retention issues. There is currently no agreed definition of nurse wellbeing or how it should be captured and measured, despite calls for evidence-based policies and interventions to address nurse wellbeing. We used a salutogenic and consensus approach to develop a core outcome set (COS) for capturing and measuring nurse wellbeing.

Methods: nurses and stakeholders in nurse wellbeing completed two rounds of an online Delphi survey. Participants were recruited from nurse wellbeing conferences/meetings delegates, professional bodies, and recommendations. Participants used a 9-point scale to rate 42 previously identified wellbeing outcomes from five domains. Consensus was reached when <75% of participants agreed that an outcome was critical for inclusion in the Core Outcome Set.

Results: forty-five participants (18 nurses; 27 stakeholders) completed both Delphi rounds. Thirteen wellbeing outcomes met the a-priori threshold for inclusion in the Core Outcome Set: General Wellbeing, Health, Sleep, Positive Relationships, Personal Safety, Psychological Needs Satisfaction, Psychological Safety, Job Satisfaction, Morale, Life Work Balance, Compassion Satisfaction, Satisfaction with Patient Care, Good Nursing Practice. Feedback from participants and mapping to existing measurements (i.e. NHS staff survey) suggests relevance and acceptability.

Discussion & conclusion: this is the first study to develop a Core Outcome Set for measuring and capturing nurse wellbeing. Its use has the potential to reduce heterogeneity and standardise the capture and measure of nurse wellbeing, making comparisons at organisational, local and national levels easier, and providing decision-makers with the evidence-base needed to inform staff well-being strategies and interventions. Its use in research and workforce planning will ensure wellbeing outcomes important to nurses and stakeholders are reported. Further research is needed to identify agreed measurement tools.

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