Background: Social inequities in health systems are threats to global health. Considering the important role of nurses in establishing social justice, identification of factors affecting nurses’ participation in this area can contribute to the development of social justice. Objective: This study aimed to identify factors affecting nurses’ participation in establishing social justice in the health system. Research design and methods: The study was conducted using conventional qualitative content analysis approach. Purposive sampling was used to select 14 participants in 2019. The (...) data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed concurrently with data gathering. Participants and research context: In total, six faculty members, five nursing managers, and three clinical nurses from three different universities were interviewed. Ethical considerations: The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Urmia University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Findings: Four main themes were found, including inadequate professional authority, insufficient attention to social justice in the area of education, clinical concerns as barriers to professional presence in society, and reflection of personality traits in the profession. These are the main factors affecting nurses’ participation in establishing social justice in the health system. Discussion: Authorities need to take effective steps to establish social justice through reforming the health system’s policy-making and power-acquisition domains, promoting nurses’ involvement in social factors in health issues, and adding professional values as a part of nursing curriculum. The clinical practice environment can also be helpful through providing quality, safe, and cost-effective services. In addition, fair and efficient recruitment process for new nurses can contribute to the establishment of social justice in the health system. Conclusion: Macro-level managerial factors such as policy, education, and clinical environment, along with personal factors, play a significant role in the participation of nursing profession in establishing social justice. (shrink)

Background: Discrimination in nursing has led to the formation of some taboos that often impact the individual’s professional development. Nurses use strategies to overcome discrimination that can lead to consequences. Research objective: This study assessed nurses’ experiences to explore the consequences of Iranian nurses’ strategies to overcome intra-professional discrimination. Research design: This qualitative content analysis study employed purposive sampling to reach 25 nurses working at educational hospitals in Tehran, Tabriz, and Ilam, Iran. The data were collected using deep and unstructured (...) interviews along with notes in a period of time between April 2016 and May 2017. Interviews were simultaneously analyzed using inductive and conventional content analysis method after being transcribed. Ethical consideration: This study was approved by the Regional Committee of Medical Research Ethics. Also, voluntary participation, anonymity, and confidentiality were considered. Findings: Two themes emerged from our analysis due to consequences of nurses’ efforts to overcome intra-professional discrimination: “seeking justice” and “passivity.” Discussion: Nurses’ efforts to overcome professional discrimination have led to outcomes. These outcomes can be affect on their individual effort to achieve organizational goals, provide better care or feel disabling or nurses turnover. Conclusion: Strategies adopted by nurses to overcome intra-professional discrimination have led to consequences which vary from negative to positive and impact their performance. (shrink)

Background: Poor psychosocial work environments are considered critical factors of nurses’ intention to leave their profession. Workplace injustice has been proven to increase the incidence of psychiatric morbidity among workers. However, few studies have directly investigated the effect of workplace justice on nurses’ intention to leave their profession and the population attributable risk among nurses. Objective: This study identified factors associated with workplace justice and nurses’ intention to leave the profession. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered structured (...) questionnaire. Approximately 10% of all secondary referral centers in Taiwan were stratified and randomly sampled. Multiple logistic regression and population attributable risks were preformed to assess the effect of workplace justice on nurses’ intention to leave the nursing profession. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Research and Ethical Committee of National Taiwan University Hospital. Only nurses who consented to the study participated in the survey. Result: A total of 2268 nurses were recruited, of whom 1417 (62.5%) satisfactorily completed the questionnaire. The participants were classified and 342 (24.1%) of them were placed into the low workplace justice group. Nurses with low workplace justice had a higher intention of leaving the profession (adjusted odds ratio = 1.34, 95% confidence interval = 1.02–1.77). “Employees’ opinions are influential in hospital’s decision making” and “employees’ performance is evaluated fairly” were the most influential factors of the participants’ intention to quit. The adjusted population attributable risk was 3.7% for low workplace justice. Conclusion: This study has identified that workplace justice is a protective factor of nurses’ leaving their current profession. A fair performance appraisal system and increased autonomy at work are warranted to dissuade nurses from leaving the nursing profession. (shrink)

Background: Discrimination is a situation in which individuals receive unequal social benefits in return for equal roles they play. They react to such a situation in different ways. Objective: This study aims at identifying the strategies used by Iranian nurses to overcome professional discrimination. Research design: This qualitative study was conducted with the participation of 23 nurses who worked in hospitals in the cities of Tehran, Tabriz, and Ilam. They were selected based on purposive sampling. Data were collected using deep (...) and unstructured interviews in a period of time between May 2013 and June 2014. Interviews were simultaneously analyzed using conventional content analysis method after being transcribed. Ethical consideration: This study was approved by the Regional Committee of Medical Research Ethics. Also, voluntary participation, anonymity, and confidentiality were considered. Finding: “Presenting a positive image of oneself,” “objection,” and “expectation” were three themes extracted through data analysis. Discussion: Organizational discrimination puts nurses under stress and pressure. Nurses react to unfair behavior in different ways. These reactions are harmful to an organization and lead to negative consequences. Conclusion: Professional discrimination has made nurses adopt strategies which would lead to such consequences, which in turn influences their performance as nurses. (shrink)