Analysis

The Perceived Workload of Nurses Scale is used to evaluate nurses’ perception of their workload. Perception of workload is critical for understanding the professional stress and pressure nurses may experience, as well as its impact on their performance and the quality of care provided.

Purpose

The purpose of the scale is to measure nurses’ perception of their workload, providing valuable information for the development of strategies that can reduce stress, improve job satisfaction, and enhance the quality of care.

Scoring

The scale assesses various dimensions of workload, such as the amount of work, the complexity of tasks, time pressure, and physical and emotional fatigue. It includes a series of statements to which nurses respond using a Likert scale, ranging from “1 = Strongly Disagree” to “5 = Strongly Agree.” The overall score is calculated as the mean of all responses, with higher values indicating a greater perceived workload.

References

Cameron, S. J., Horsburgh, M. E., & Armstrong-Stassen, M. (1994). Job satisfaction, propensity to leave and burnout in RNs and RNAs: A multivariate perspective. Canadian Journal of Nursing Administration, 7(3), 43–64.
Greenglass, E. R., Burke, R. J., & Moore, K. A. (2003). Reactions to increased workload: Effects on professional efficacy of nurses. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 52(4), 580–597.
Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J., & Silber, J. H. (2002). Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction. JAMA, 288(16), 1987–1993.
Cavanagh, S. J. (1992). Job satisfaction of nursing staff working in hospitals. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17(6), 704–711.
Schultz, A. A., & Schultz, J. B. (1998). Nursing work environment scale: A standardized measure for research and practice. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 6(1), 5–19.