PCC@Work – A person-centred approach to health and social care: how does it affect staff’s work-related health and job satisfaction?

Background

Difficulties with maintaining and recruiting skilled staff is a big challenge for Swedish health and social care. Ethical stress, high workloads and discontent with the work situation have resulted in high sick leave and staff turnover rates. Person-centred care is based on ethics marked by mutual respect and partnership between staff and people in need of health and social care (often also with family and significant others). A person-centred approach to health and social care puts focus on, and supports, staff’s strive to do good for people in need of health and social care and co-workers. It also has potential to change the psychosocial work environment for health and social care staff.

Aim

The overarching aim with the research project PCC@Work is to follow, describe and assess the impact of applying a person-centred approach in health and social care on work-related health and job satisfaction among staff. The project also aims to explore staff’s experiences of their work-related health and job satisfaction in relation to applying a person-centred approach to health and social care.

Methods

The project applies different study types and methods, such as epidemiological mapping, longitudinal studies, and qualitative studies to generate a broad and deep knowledge.

Expected results

Optimising the work environment for staff in health and social care is vital to retain the workforce and safeguard the quality of care. Person-centred care can form a critical component for effective change in the work environment of health and social care staff. This project is expected to generate knowledge on sustainable working conditions in Swedish health and social care, which will be of benefit to both the scientific community and the society as a whole.