Strategies to promote nurses' health: A qualitative study with student nurses

Abstract

Developing strategies to support student nurses' health is a global priority for healthcare organisations and governments. This is because emerging international evidence indicates that improvements in student nurses' health are required to increase the longevity of careers and reduce the loss of time, skill and financial cost of sickness absence and workforce exit. However, we do not know what intervention strategies student nurses think would support their health. The study aim was to explore student nurses' views on factors that influence health-related behaviours and strategies that could improve health. Data were collected through participatory activities during focus groups with student nurses in Scotland. Analysis was theoretically informed and involved mapping to the Behaviour Change Wheel framework. Students identified several factors that influenced health-related behaviours. Four were ranked most important: knowledge, culture, time constraints, and stress. Strategies student nurses thought should be prioritised to improve nurses' health-related behaviours were: stimulating a health-promoting environment by reviewing shift work, improving workplace support, increasing staffing levels, subsidising and role-modelling of healthy food and exercise; and creating applied health-promoting curricula by integrating time and stress management training and lifestyle advice into nursing education. Educational and environmental interventions are needed to support student nurses’ health.