So-called float pools are increasingly being used in the healthcare sector. Here, nursing staff do not work as floaters in a fixed area but, depending on requirements, in different departments of a clinic or even in several hospitals: today perhaps in surgery, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in the internal medicine department and next week in the intensive care unit. This model of staff planning and staffing focuses on flexibility and efficiency. But what does this mean for nursing staff in particular?
This question is the subject of a new study by Prof. Dr. Caroline Fischer, Head of the Department of Public Administration and Management at the University of Kassel, in collaboration with Gréanne Leeftink and Anke Lenferink, both from the University of Twente in Enschede (Netherlands). The study was conducted as part of the Technology in Healthcare Transformations (THT) research program based there. The core of THT is to successfully tackle the current challenges in healthcare and society with interdisciplinary research and training.

Advantageous innovation - but with limitations

According to the research team, float pools are often seen as a beneficial innovation in healthcare. However, there is still disagreement in the literature as to how float pools directly affect employees. This is where the authors of the study come in. They interviewed two groups of nursing staff in float pools: those who "jump" within their clinic and those who are deployed in several hospitals, i.e. who commute between clinics. A total of 27 people were interviewed at five Dutch hospitals. Nurses in floating teams who are deployed within their clinic were generally satisfied with their work, but also reported minor stress and a lower level of acceptance. Learning opportunities and varied tasks were cited on the plus side. In contrast,
nurses who are deployed across clinics have to cope with greater demands and sometimes have to adapt very spontaneously to different protocols and different rules in the hospitals. Last but not least, a lack of communication and coordination was criticized. Floating nurses reported that colleagues on the wards where they were deployed were not informed, which caused frustration on both sides. Some also felt like outsiders. However, what was initially perceived as an obstacle often developed into a challenge that could be overcome and thus become routine. The need for incentives such as salary increases to cope with the demanding flexibility and appreciation to encourage the floaters in their role was also emphasized.

Taking individual perspectives into account
Overall, the researchers draw a positive conclusion: the results of the study underline the importance of a human-centered design of the deployment pool, meaning that the focus of management should not only be on efficiency and flexibility. The individual perspectives of the nursing staff should be included and taken into account. Adapting the guidelines for the deployment pool could increase job satisfaction, reduce burnout and promote the loyalty of nursing staff.

Summary:

• A German-Dutch study examines the effects of float pools with nursing staff in hospitals.
• The aim of float pools is efficiency and flexibility in personnel planning.
• Nurses who are deployed within a hospital are predominantly satisfied with their work in changing departments.
• Nurses who commute between hospitals have to cope with great demands and complain about a lack of coordination and communication, among other things.
• In general, the researchers draw a positive balance.

Link to the study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/jonm/5468634
Link to Technology in Healthcare Transformations, THT: https: //www.utwente.nl/en/bms/tht/

Contact
Prof. Dr. Caroline Fischer
Head of the Department of Public Administration and Management
Mail: caroline.fischer[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
Office: Malin Kascherus
Phone: +49 561 804-3739
Mail: pam[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

You can find the article here.