Staffing the unit with nurses: the role of nurse managers

Purpose To explore the staffing practices of nurse managers at the unit. Design/methodology/approach Introduction: Ensuring that units are staffed with adequate nurses to render quality nursing care to clients has become increasingly challenging for most hospitals. There is growing evidence linking best patient outcomes and fewer adverse events to the presence of nurses at the bedside. Hospitals require to attract and retain nurses in the units to address the issues of quality, staff and patient safety. Methods: The study used a descriptive phenomenological design to purposively select 15 nurse managers (NMs) and 47 nurses for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions respectively. Findings The study found that the demand for nurses to work in the unit was not scientific. Nurses affirmed their frustration of inadequate numbers of staff in the unit especially, at the periphery hospitals. Time can be used as a source of motivation for nurses and nurses should be involved in the development of the duty roster to enable effective compliance. Compensation for additional duties is relevant in nursing. Research limitations/implications The research was carried only in one region in Ghana, and the findings may not be the same in the other regions. Practical implications Inadequate staffing level has serious implications on patient safety, quality of care and staff outcomes. This situation necessitates the implementation of health sector staffing norms to ensure the right calibre of mix staff are recruited and retained. Originality/value This study is the first in Ghana that we aware of that explore staffing practices at the unit that identifies factors that impact staff schedules for effective care.