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Working when unwell: why do so many nurses feel compelled to?
It poses a risk to patients and staff themselves, yet surveys show most nurses go to work when ill. We look at the pressures that put well-being on the back burner
It poses a risk to patients and staff themselves, yet surveys show most nurses go to work when ill. We look at the pressures that put well-being on the back burner
Nurses know that going to work while unwell poses a risk to patients, and makes them less productive.
Yet four out of five nurses (80%) sometimes go to work despite feeling too unwell to do so, according to the results of a Nursing Standard survey last year. We asked our readers’ panel why so many nurses feel they have to work when they are sick.
Liz Charalambous is an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Nottingham @lizcharalambou
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