Indispensable outsiders: A qualitative study of the working experiences of hospital care workers in China

Abstract

Aims To explore the working experiences of Chinese hospital care workers from their own perspectives. Background Many countries face an increasing demand for nursing care and an acute shortage of registered nurses. As a result, much of the care work at hospitals is delegated to assistant staff, such as care workers. Methods Data were collected by semi‐structured interviews with 22 hospital care workers in three hospitals of Guangzhou City, China. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Hospital care workers are mainly rural‐to‐urban migrant women, partaking in caregiver jobs to make a living. They play a significant role in the hospital to aid patients as well as nurses. Hospital care workers experience a sense of ambiguity towards their job, viewing it as “low” and “isolated”, yet at the same time, “acceptable” and “helping”. Conclusion Hospital care workers are a workforce that is not well supported, trained or regulated. Their working experiences suggest that attention needs to be given to protecting this vulnerable group. Implications for Nursing Management The working conditions of hospital care workers should be improved. Hospital care workers need improved status, increased rewards, and channels for further training and opportunities for continued career advancement.

Registered nurses’ role experiences of caring for older stroke patients: a qualitative study

“…Instead, in many public hospitals, it is the family-paid care workers ( hugong ) providing most bedside care. These care workers aid patients as well as nurses, taking up many responsibilities that previously should be within the nurses’ scope of responsibility, yet they cannot guarantee the quality and expertise of the care services provided [ 24 , 25 ]. Our findings from the nurses’ perspectives also echo other research conducted in China from the patients’ perspective, which indicates that a gap exists between the nurses and patients regarding the understanding of care and that the patients required more support from the nurses regarding their psychological needs [ 26 ], so the nurses’ perception of their patient’s quality of life may not accurately reflect the older people’s actual experiences [ 27 ].…”