Abstract

FREDERICO-FERREIRA, Manuela  and  SILVA, Cristiana Filipa Ribeiro da. Health management reforms: challenges faced by nurses. Rev. Enf. Ref. [online]. 2012, vol.serIII, n.8, pp.85-93. ISSN 0874-0283.  https://doi.org/10.12707/RIII1238.

A new management model has been introduced with the purpose of making public management more efficient. This has had consequences for the health services and therefore for nurses. Therefore, it was necessary to identify the challenges perceived by nurses that Nursing has to confront in the face of these changes. The present study was descriptive, using qualitative analysis techniques, based on a self-administered questionnaire. Responses were analysed using the NVivo programme. Three main categories arose from the analysis: Value of the Profession; Nursing Career, and Training and Research. Nurses consider that the profession is not valued or recognized; furthermore, they consider that changes in the nursing career resulting from the New Public Management are not appropriate to nursing practice and do not allow career progression or fair remuneration. Participants added that the only way forward is to work towards autonomy for the profession and to build a body of nursing knowledge. It is important to continue to study the impact of the reforms on nurses, including different variables. It is equally important that the results are taken into account by managers and leaders.

Keywords : new public management; nursing.

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