Job Demands and Resources in Relation to Nurses’ Health in Home Care: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Home-care nursing is gaining importance because of the increasing number of people requiring care. Home-care nurses are exposed to high demands, which can have adverse health consequences. This study aimed to conduct an integrative literature review to identify the job characteristics and their relationship with health-related outcomes among home-care nurses. A systematic literature review was conducted using the Cochrane Library, Medline, CINAHL Complete, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, and Psyndex databases. A total of 5510 studies were screened, and the final sample for this integrative review comprised 52 studies. We used a descriptive thematic method to synthesize the data. Our analysis revealed that the most relevant job demands for home-care nurses were work overload, time pressure, fragmented care, sexual harassment and violence, role conflicts and work–family conflicts, and emotional and physical demands. These demands are risk factors for stress; mental, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular diseases; and the intention to leave the profession. Job resources that positively influenced health outcomes were identified as social support, especially reachability during the shift and room for peer exchange; learning and personal development within the home-care service; provision of feasibility equipment; possibilities to participate in organizational decisions; autonomy to schedule their own work; a promoting leadership style; and sufficient payment. To improve home-care nurses’ job characteristics and thus protect their health, interventions should be taken at the political, organizational, and individual levels.