title: Nurses' experiences of working in organizations undergoing restructuring: A metasynthesis of qualitative research studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health care organizations worldwide undergo continual reconfiguration and structural changes in order to optimize the use of resources, reduce costs, and improve the quality of treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to synthesize qualitative studies of how nurses experience working in organizations undergoing structural changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review is designed as a metasynthesis and follows the guidelines put forth by Sandelowski and Barroso for synthesizing qualitative research.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January to April 2015, literature searches were conducted in the CINAHL, PubMed, ProQuest, and Web of Science databases for the period from 1994 to 2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 762 articles were found and screened, 12 of which were included in the review after being appraised using a specially designed reading guide. The inclusion criteria were qualitative studies in English, German, Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish on nurses' experiences with being employed in organizations undergoing structural changes. The data were then analyzed in a metasummary and metasynthesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four overall categories that illustrate how nurses experience working in organizations undergoing structural changes were identified: nursing management, emotional responses, nursing work, and colleagues. Generally, nurses seemed to describe their experiences working in organizations undergoing structural changes in a negative way, as all of the included articles reported that nurses experience an increased workload due to restructuring. However, some of the articles reported that nurses also experience a certain joy associated with the nursing work despite the negative consequences of the structural changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings can be seen as a paradox because former research has shown that an increased workload reduces the pleasure in working. Further research on this topic is needed to ensure a better working environment for nurses.
authors.affiliation: VIA University College, Center for Research in Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Hedeager 2, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark. Electronic address: annesofiebj89@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anne Sofie Bøtcher
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: VIA University College, Center for Research in Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Hedeager 2, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark. Electronic address: dsor@via.dk.
authors.forename: Dorthe
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sørensen
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: Burn out; Job satisfaction; Nurse; Qualitative metasynthesis; Structural change; Workload