Nursing service managers' views on problems they experience in their everyday lives: Part 1.

During 1994 it became clear to the health care delivery system management team of the old Transvaal region (Gauteng, North West and Eastern Transvaal) that nursing service managers in leadership positions were experiencing great strain in their daily work situation and seemed fatigued and stressed. The problem identified was that if nursing service managers themselves were fatigued and stressed, this would become an obstacle in the provision of quality health care. Assistance was requested to provide a support programme for the nursing service managers. Prior to developing and implementing the support programme it was necessary to explore and describe nursing service managers' views on the problems they were experiencing in their everyday lives (personal and professional) and to ascertain their specific needs for support. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was utilised in this research. A questionnaire with open-ended questions was used for gathering data. A purposive sample of one hundred nursing service managers was included in this research. Sixty of the one hundred questionnaires were completed. Data were analysed by a qualitative descriptive method of analysis. Four major categories regarding nursing service managers' experience of problems in their daily lives, were identified: difficulty in relationship with diverse others; lack of sufficient group acceptance/support; value conflicts, and difficulty with self-acceptance Conclusions and recommendations were made and limitations discussed.