Fan Xuanhao, Zhuang Jiehao, Chen Zhongqing, Xiong Ziyi, Yang Niu, Pu Jiangfeng, Xu Peng, Chen Lifang, Huang Huigen
School of Nursing, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Department of Nursing, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Aug 14;13:1614890. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1614890. eCollection 2025.
Employee assistance program (EAP) as an effective modern method for improving the physical and mental health of nurses. To understand the experiences of clinical nurses participating in the EAP, to explore the relevant factors influencing its implementing effect, to provide reference for developing a more effective and reasonable EAP in healthcare organizations, to implement targeted assistance for nurses, and to promote the physical and mental health development of nurses.
A descriptive research method was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with 14 clinical nurses. Interviews lasted between 25-40 min. The themes of the interview data were distilled through thematic analysis using NVivo 15 software. Sample size was subject to content saturation.
The mean age of the participants was 36.29 years, and the mean duration of clinical work was 14.07 years from different departments. Two themes and six sub-themes were identified for nurses' experience of participation in EAP. Seven themes and 15 sub-themes were identified as factors affecting the effectiveness of EAP implementation from the government, hospital, EAP, and nurse level.
This study innovatively identified nurses' experience of participating in the EAP and the factors influencing its effectiveness obtained from a qualitative analysis perspective. Nurses could have a variety of positive experiences by participating in an EAP, with improved mental health status being the main focus. However, the long-term and professional nature of EAP was still deficient. This study found that there were a variety of factors affecting the effectiveness of EAP implementation, including the government's financial support, institutional safeguards, and the participation and support of hospital management, which were the prerequisites for the effectiveness of the program. The integration of multiculturalism and the enhancement of publicity could promote the two-way understanding between nurses and EAP, while ensuring that the EAP had long-term, flexible, targeted, and professional characteristics was key to its effective implementation. Therefore, in future studies, there remains a need for the government to establish universal team training and implementation programs, while hospitals must personalize applications and maintain sustained implementation to collect nurse feedback, thereby optimizing the EAP and safeguarding the occupational health of nurses.
员工援助计划（EAP）是改善护士身心健康的一种有效现代方法。旨在了解临床护士参与EAP的体验，探索影响其实施效果的相关因素，为医疗机构制定更有效合理的EAP提供参考，对护士实施针对性援助，促进护士身心健康发展。
采用描述性研究方法，对14名临床护士进行半结构式访谈。访谈持续25 - 40分钟。使用NVivo 15软件通过主题分析提炼访谈数据主题。样本量以内容饱和为标准。
参与者的平均年龄为36.29岁，来自不同科室，临床工作平均时长为14.07年。确定了护士参与EAP体验的两个主题和六个子主题。从政府、医院、EAP和护士层面确定了七个主题和十五个子主题作为影响EAP实施效果的因素。
本研究创新性地从定性分析角度确定了护士参与EAP的体验及影响其效果的因素。护士参与EAP可获得多种积极体验，其中改善心理健康状况是主要方面。然而，EAP的长期性和专业性仍有欠缺。本研究发现影响EAP实施效果的因素多样，包括政府财政支持、制度保障以及医院管理层的参与和支持，这些是该计划有效性的前提条件。多元文化融合及宣传力度的增强可促进护士与EAP的双向理解，而确保EAP具有长期、灵活、针对性和专业性特点是其有效实施的关键。因此，在未来研究中，政府仍需建立通用的团队培训和实施方案，而医院必须个性化应用并持续实施以收集护士反馈，从而优化EAP并保障护士的职业健康。
