Företagshälsovårdare

ÅBO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies Author: Helena Nyman Supervisor: D.Sc. (Health Care), RN Jessica Hemberg Master´s Thesis The vision of caring – Occupational healthcare nurses experiences of fulfilling their ethical values CARING SCIENCE Keywords: Ethics, nursing, nursing ethics, healthcare, values April 2016 Number of pages: 53 Appendices: 5 The purpose of this study is to reach an understanding of what ethos is in an occupational healthcare context. The study seeks answer to the following questions: 1. What is ethos in an occupational healthcare context? 2. What does it mean for occupational healthcare nurses to fulfill their inner ethos in a healthcare context controlled by economic demands of gain and efficiency? The main concept in this study is ethos as Eriksson describes it in her caritative theory of caring. Ethos is associated with ethics and reflects the fundamental assumptions that we have about the human being´s holiness and dignity and about the inviolability of life. The empirical part of the study consists of focus interviews with four occupational healthcare nurses. The study uses hermeneutical reading as an interpretation method, and presents the results of the study in six theses reflecting these against both recent research and the theoretical background. The results of the study show that ethos in occupational healthcare has to do with justice, honesty and faithfulness. These concepts are common to nurses in different nursing contexts. Ethos is not primarily profession-bound but is something universal, and eternal in the human being´s way of being and becoming. The study shows that ethos is a way of being, openness and a way of existing in love. To fulfill ethos in an occupational health context means to choose ethos continuously and courageously for the sake of the patient and the good, even if it involves a struggle or a sacrifice.

Whistleblowing process in Finnish health care

Wrongdoing in health care is harmful action that jeopardizes patient safety and can be targeted at the patient or employees. Wrongdoing can vary from illegal, unethical or unprofessional action to inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Whistleblowing can be considered as a process where wrongdoing is suspected or oberved in health care by health care professionals and disclosed to the party that can influence the wrongful action. Whistleblowing causes severe harm to the whistleblower and to the object of whistleblowing complaint, to their personnel life and working community. The aim of this study was to analyze whistleblowing process in Finnish health care. The overall goal is to raise concern about wrongdoing and whistleblowing in Finnish health care. In this cross-sectional descriptive study the data were collected (n = 397) with probability sampling from health care professionals and members of The Union of Health and Social Care Professionals in Finland Tehy. The data were collected with questionnaire: “Whistleblowing -väärinkäytösten paljastaminen terveydenhuollossa” developed for this study and by using Webropol questionnaire -software during 26.6.-17.7.2015. The data were analyzed statistically. According to the results of this study health care professionals had suspected (67 %) and observed (66 %) wrongdoing in health care, more often than once a month (30%). Mostly were suspected (37 %) and observed (36%) inadequacy of the personnel and least violence toward the patient (3 %). Wrongdoing was whistle blown (suspected 29 %, observed 40 %) primarily inside the organization to the closest supervisor (76 %), face-to-face (88 %). Mostly the whistle was blown on nurses’ wrongdoing (58 %). Whistleblowing act didn’t end the wrongdoing (52 %) and whistleblowing had negative consequences to the whistleblower such as discrimination by the manager (35 %). Respondents with work experience less than ten years (62 %), working in temporary position (75 %) or in management position (88 %) were, more unwilling to blow the whistle. Whistleblowing should be conducted internally, to the closest manager in writing and anonymously. Wrongdoing should be dealt between the parties involved, and written warning should ensue from wrongdoing. According to the results of this study whistleblowing on wrongdoing in health care causes negative consequences to the whistleblower. In future, attention in health care should be paid to preventing wrongdoing and enhancing whistleblowing in order to decrease wrongdoing and lessen the consequences that whistleblowers face after blowing the whistle.

Whistleblowing process in Finnish health care

Wrongdoing in health care is harmful action that jeopardizes patient safety and can be targeted at the patient or employees. Wrongdoing can vary from illegal, unethical or unprofessional action to inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Whistleblowing can be considered as a process where wrongdoing is suspected or oberved in health care by health care professionals and disclosed to the party that can influence the wrongful action. Whistleblowing causes severe harm to the whistleblower and to the object of whistleblowing complaint, to their personnel life and working community. The aim of this study was to analyze whistleblowing process in Finnish health care. The overall goal is to raise concern about wrongdoing and whistleblowing in Finnish health care. In this cross-sectional descriptive study the data were collected (n = 397) with probability sampling from health care professionals and members of The Union of Health and Social Care Professionals in Finland Tehy. The data were collected with questionnaire: “Whistleblowing -väärinkäytösten paljastaminen terveydenhuollossa” developed for this study and by using Webropol questionnaire -software during 26.6.-17.7.2015. The data were analyzed statistically. According to the results of this study health care professionals had suspected (67 %) and observed (66 %) wrongdoing in health care, more often than once a month (30%). Mostly were suspected (37 %) and observed (36%) inadequacy of the personnel and least violence toward the patient (3 %). Wrongdoing was whistle blown (suspected 29 %, observed 40 %) primarily inside the organization to the closest supervisor (76 %), face-to-face (88 %). Mostly the whistle was blown on nurses’ wrongdoing (58 %). Whistleblowing act didn’t end the wrongdoing (52 %) and whistleblowing had negative consequences to the whistleblower such as discrimination by the manager (35 %). Respondents with work experience less than ten years (62 %), working in temporary position (75 %) or in management position (88 %) were, more unwilling to blow the whistle. Whistleblowing should be conducted internally, to the closest manager in writing and anonymously. Wrongdoing should be dealt between the parties involved, and written warning should ensue from wrongdoing. According to the results of this study whistleblowing on wrongdoing in health care causes negative consequences to the whistleblower. In future, attention in health care should be paid to preventing wrongdoing and enhancing whistleblowing in order to decrease wrongdoing and lessen the consequences that whistleblowers face after blowing the whistle.