smoking by nurses can create workplace issues that must be addressed
smoking by nurses can create workplace problems that must be addressed by health care systems to promote better interactions between nurses and their patients and reduce dissension among staff, according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at ucla's jonsson cancer center.
the study, the result of information gathered from eight focus groups with 60 nurses in california, kentucky, new jersey and ohio who smoke or used to smoke, appears in the jan. 20 issue of the peer-reviewed journal research in nursing & health.
“this study focuses on smoking as a workplace issue, not just a behavior that affects the individual,” said linda sarna, a jonsson cancer center researcher, a professor in the ucla school of nursing and lead author of the study. “smoking among nurses affects interactions with patients. we found it also affects interactions and behaviors among staff at the workplace.”
among the problems sarna and fellow researchers uncovered was the perception that nurses who smoke take more breaks, spend less time with patients and are less committed to their profession because they need to smoke during their shift. some nurses, the study found, structured their work day around such breaks because of their powerful addiction to nicotine.
smoking by nurses can create workplace problems that must be addressed by health care systems to promote better interactions between nurses and their patients and reduce dissension among staff, according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at ucla's jonsson cancer center.
the study, the result of information gathered from eight focus groups with 60 nurses in california, kentucky, new jersey and ohio who smoke or used to smoke, appears in the jan. 20 issue of the peer-reviewed journal research in nursing & health.
“this study focuses on smoking as a workplace issue, not just a behavior that affects the individual,” said linda sarna, a jonsson cancer center researcher, a professor in the ucla school of nursing and lead author of the study. “smoking among nurses affects interactions with patients. we found it also affects interactions and behaviors among staff at the workplace.”
among the problems sarna and fellow researchers uncovered was the perception that nurses who smoke take more breaks, spend less time with patients and are less committed to their profession because they need to smoke during their shift. some nurses, the study found, structured their work day around such breaks because of their powerful addiction to nicotine.