Defining well-being for nurses, providers, and other healthcare workers is a complex task, often proving to be a challenging and intricate process.
The literature suggests that a comprehensive understanding of nurse well-being is still a puzzle, especially in the current healthcare landscape. Patrician et al. (2022) discovered that nurse well-being encompasses various levels, including individual, organizational, and community. Individual attributes such as happiness, satisfaction, optimism, compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, and sound body/spirit, and organizational/community attributes like teamwork, a sense of mission, pride in work, and social integration, all contribute to overall well-being. The success of the organization is significantly influenced by each individual’s ability to be a finely tuned, balanced participant in the orchestrated care. Each of us plays a crucial role in overall care delivery.
According to the literature, increasing awareness and presence, being in the moment without judgment, and exercising compassion for self and others throughout the workday impact the overall harmony of the team.
The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, 2024) has identified Five Domains of Worker Well-Being:
- Work Evaluation and Experience
- Workplace Policies
- Workplace Physical Environment and Safety Climate
- Health Status
- Home Community, and Society
NIOSH has developed the Well-Being Questionnaire to provide an integrated assessment of worker well-being across these spheres (CDC, 2024). We all come to the workplace with different work and life experiences, health, cultural and political preferences, and home and community support. It is well-established in the literature and through our own experiences that a supportive work environment can significantly enhance our sense of belonging, elevate our sense of purpose in our work, and foster feelings of safety. This underscores the crucial role of a supportive work environment in enhancing our overall well-being.
Support at the organizational policy level can include flexible staffing, administrative support, and incorporating innovative and creative strategies to mediate the detrimental effects of chronic stress that come hand in hand with a healthcare career.
At their best, interprofessional healthcare teams and organizations are resilient, collaborative, and encouraging. They find joy through empowered, purposeful work and physical/mental health. We challenge each other to further our growth and development for the greater good of our patients, their families, and the communities we live in.
References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024). NIOSH worker well-being questionnaire (WellBQ). CDC.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/php/wellbq/index.html
Patrician, P., Bakerjian, D., Billings, R., Chenot, T., Hooper, V., Johnson, C. S., & Sables-Baus, S. (2022). Nurse well-being: A concept analysis. Nursing Outlook, 79(4), 639-650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2022.03.014
