The project “Healthy work environments for critical care nurses (HWE4CCN)” was launched in November 2019 and is currently in its first phase of execution. It involves five organisations from five different countries, including UIC Barcelona. The main objective is to create a training plan to unlock the tools for creating healthy work environments in intensive care units, helping them retain staff for longer. 

 

The working group has started the pilot test for the training programme in various countries to help define the course’s content and format and make it available across the board via the EPALE educational platform. The trial aims to test both the content aimed at students and the content created for instructors, as the course will be aimed at those looking to train others, helping to spread the benefits of the initiative. 

 

“The course’s content is presented in the form of group dynamics that help address the following areas: effective communication, true collaboration, authentic leadership, decision making, adequate staffing and meaningful recognition; these are the six standards that the American Association of Critical Care Nurses stated must be achieved in order to create a healthy work environment”, says Dr Mireia Llauradó, Spain’s representative alongside Cristina Alfonso, both lecturers from the Department of Nursing. 

 

“The aim for this training is for anyone to be able to use it to teach other nurses, improving dissemination”, explains Llauradó. “We hope that by creating more positive work environments, healthcare professionals’ job satisfaction will increase and we will see a fall in the number of nurses leaving the sector.”