Nurses' views on which factors cause nurse absenteeism in a selected hospital, Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

The research study on "Nurses' views on which factors cause nurse absenteeism in a selected hospital, Durban, South Africa", was conducted utilizing a quantitative, non-experimental, simple survey design. The study was conducted at a provincial hospital in Durban. There were sixty nurses, which were involved in the study. The nurse study sample comprised ten Registered Nurses on day duty and ten Registered Nurses on night duty; ten Enrolled Nurses on day duty and ten Enrolled Nurses on night duty; ten Enrolled Nurse Assistants on day duty and ten Enrolled Nurse Assistants on night duty. Nurses consented to be apart of the study, following completion of the study questionnaire, The study was guided by the conceptual framework by Taunton, Hope Woods and Bott. (1995: 218). Independent variables of the nurse, nurse manager, work and organization and their associated characteristics were the main aspects of the study. These were investigated using separate methods of closed-ended and open-ended questions, to determine factors that caused absenteeism. The closed-ended questions consisted of questions to either responses of either an agree or disagree. There were open-ended, simple survey, questions. Statistical methods of A Exact Binomial Test of Significance were used to analyze the quantitative data of the closed-ended data collected. Content analysis, using a coding technique, with descriptive analysis techniques of frequency counts and frequency distributions, were utilized for data analysis for the open-ended data collected. There emerged many reasons for nurse absenteeism, employing two research designs, some of which were unknown until this research was complete and some reasons, which were known but now emphasized. Once the hospital management view upon all reasons for nurse absenteeism, there can possibly an understanding of nurse absenteeism, reducing nurse absenteeism and allowing for a better-managed workforce.