title: Development of a Subjective Workload Assessment for Nurses: A Human Factors Approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research has revealed nurses' perception that traditional workload measures do not adequately capture the complexity of workload. Using a human factors approach to address the multiple and complex dimensions from the subjective perception of the worker, the Subjective Workload Assessment for Nurses (SWAN) was developed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey data from 188 medical-surgical registered nurses were used to establish the instrument's psychometric properties.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SWAN Sections 1, 2, and 3; General Information Form Section 1; and the Nursing Texas Load Index demonstrated internal consistency with this sample. Findings supported interrelationships between activity complexity, performance circumstances, and individual characteristics described in the literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further study is needed to refine the SWAN and to establish psychometric properties with nurses in other practice areas.
authors.affiliation: Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neill
authors.forename: Gail C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D013781:Texas; D016526:Workload