title: Changed nursing scheduling for improved safety culture and working conditions - patients' and nurses' perspectives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate fixed scheduling compared with self-scheduling for nursing staff in oncological inpatient care with regard to patient and staff outcomes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Various scheduling models have been tested to attract and retain nursing staff. Little is known about how these schedules affect staff and patients. Fixed scheduling and self-scheduling have been studied to a small extent, solely from a staff perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  We implemented fixed scheduling on two of four oncological inpatient wards. Two wards kept self-scheduling. Through a quasi-experimental design, baseline and follow-up measurements were collected among staff and patients. The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire was used among staff, as well as study-specific questions for patients and staff.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fixed scheduling was associated with less overtime and fewer possibilities to change shifts. Self-scheduling was associated with more requests from management for short notice shift changes. The type of scheduling did not affect patient-reported outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fixed scheduling should be considered in order to lower overtime. Further research is necessary and should explore patient outcomes to a greater extent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Scheduling is a core task for nurse managers. Our study suggests fixed scheduling as a strategy for managers to improve the effective use of resources and safety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kullberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Center for Digestive Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergenmar
authors.affiliation: Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Regional Cancer Centre, Stockholm-Gotland, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sharp
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D015279:Organizational Culture; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000592:standards*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000523:psychology*; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: fixed scheduling; nurse scheduling; patient safety; self-scheduling