ArticleBMC nursing2025
"They don't know what it's really like:" qualitative insights into inpatient cardiac nurses' perceived workload.
Article in BMC nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The cognitive work of acute care nurses: A hybrid model concept analysis.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Article
- Relationships between nurse-patient assignment, perceived nursing workload, and missed care among intensive care unit nurses: a cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Action Model for Unforeseen Inadequacy in Nurse Qualifications and Staffing: A Descriptive Study of the Experiences of Nurses and Nurse Managers.Journal of nursing management · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundMeasurements of nursing workload often fail to reflect the complexity of nursing work. Nurses' perceived workload is shaped by many factors, including patient characteristics, personal, social, organizational, and environmental factors. There is a demonstrated interest in developing more comprehensive nurse workload measurement strategies, but little research has employed qualitative methods to investigate the beliefs and experiences of frontline staff. The purpose of this study was to explore inpatient nurses' perceptions of their workload and the factors that impact their percieved workload levels.
methodsThis was qualitative study using focus groups. Participants were recruited from the cardiac floors of an urban, academic medical center. A total of 17 nurses participated, including nurses from bedside, charge, educator, and nurse manager roles. Focus group transcripts were analyzed by a team of qualitative investigators using conventional content analysis.
resultsInpatient nurses' perceived workload is shaped by their work volume, work attributes, and their ability to complete required tasks while providing meaningful, impactful care. The volume of nursing work is comprised of patient-focused, unit-focused, and institutional-focused tasks. Important work attributes include its perceived urgency, difficulty, alignment to the nurse and unit, interference, unpredictability, and individual nursing burden. Overall, participants expressed deep concern over high workloads that compromise holistic nursing care.
conclusionStrategies to more comprehensively measure nurses' perceived workload should account for the breadth and complexity of nursing work. Nurses should advocate for workload measurement systems that more closely reflect their subjective work experiences. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Not applicable.
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