Deepening the impact of initiatives to promote teamwork and workplace health: a perspective from the NEKTA study.

Abstract

Evaluations of major policy initiatives on workplace health and teamwork have found significant progress on some issues and inertia on others. This article explores the applicability of a model describing employees' psychological relationships with work as a framework for considering workplace health initiatives. The Mediation Model contributes a way of focusing on experiences that are integral to staff nurses' day-to-day work life. As such, the model provides direction for developing and evaluating strategies for enhancing the quality of work life, especially pertaining to workplace health. The commentary considers a few key findings from the Nursing Environments: Knowledge to Action (NETKA) study that reviewed the applicability of national policy documents on the healthcare systems of Atlantic Canada. The discussion considers implications of staff nurses' participation in sharing and using new knowledge about workplace health.