Work Culture Among Healthcare Personnel in a Palliative Medicine Unit

Abstract

ObjectiveUnderstanding and assessing health care personnel’s work culture in palliative care is important, due to the conflict between “high tech†and “high touchâ€. The aim of this study was to explore the work culture at a palliative medicine unit (PMU).MethodHealthcare personnel (N = 26) at a PMU in Norway filled in a questionnaire. The Systematizing Person-Group Relations (SPGR) method was used for gathering data and for the analyses. The method seeks to explore which aspects dominate the particular work culture. ResultsThe healthcare personnel working at the PMU had significantly higher scores than the “Norwegian Norm (NN)†in vectors in the “Withdrawal†dimension and significant lower scores in vectors in the “Synergy,†“Control,†and “Dependence†dimensions.Discussion Healthcare personnel at the PMU have a significantly different perception of their work culture than NN in several dimensions. The low score in the “Synergy†and “Control†dimensions indicate lack of engagement and constructive goal orientation, and not being in a position to change their behavior. The conflict between “high tech†and “high touch†at a PMU seems to be an obstacle when implementing changes.