Mandatory internal mobility in French hospitals: the results of imposed management practices.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the impact of a mandatory internal mobility policy on nurses working in French state-funded health establishments.


BACKGROUND
Public hospitals in France rely on the internal mobility of nursing staff to respond to organisational needs, to reduce costs and to increase productivity. However, there is very little data on the impact of such management practices on the nurses themselves.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study, including 3077 nurses from 35 hospitals in the region of Paris, was conducted. Data were collected using a validated self-assessment questionnaire.


RESULTS
Forty per cent of French nurses are required to work in different units. This mobility differs according to individual characteristics [age (P = 0.04), length of service (P = 0.017)] and type of environment [hospital (P < 0.0001), specialty (P < 0.0001)].


CONCLUSIONS
We can distinguish two types of approaches for implementing a mandatory staff nurse mobility policy. The first is an event that is regular, planned and lasts for several days. The second is an event that is irregular, short and organised the day before or the day of the change. Overall, while nurses are dissatisfied with all types of mandatory unit changes, this dissatisfaction is primarily a result of the irregular mobility events.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates the importance of implementing a planned inter-unit mobility event and proposes recommendations for this type of implementation.
Doctoral School 393, Public Health, Epidemiology and Biomedical Information Sciences, University - Paris 6, Pierre and Marie Curie, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Bobigny, France.|AP-HP, EA 3412, UFR SMBH, Education and Health Practices Laboratory [LEPS], Sorbonne Paris Cite, University - Paris 13, Bobigny, France.
Edith
E
van Schingen
Department of Healthcare Organization Management, EA 7348, School of Public Health [EHESP], Seine-Saint-Denis, France.
Odessa
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3334-8762
O
Dariel
Faculty of Nursing, University of Montreal, Montreal, Québec, Canada.|Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation [CRIR], Montreal, Québec, Canada.
Hélène
H
Lefebvre
Work Organisation Task Force, Department of Professional Development - Human Resources Directorate, Siège Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris [AP-HP], France.
Marie-Pierre
MP
Challier
AP-HP, EA 3412, UFR SMBH, Education and Health Practices Laboratory [LEPS], Sorbonne Paris Cite, University - Paris 13, Bobigny, France.|University - Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cite, France.
Monique
M
Rothan-Tondeur
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007324:Institutional Management Teams / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000639:trends; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards
France; flexibility; healthcare organisation; nurse management; pooling; professional mobility; work organisation