Table 4.

Summary of literature on the compensation system

Sub-system	Authors, year (site)	Design	Sample	Interventions	Outcomes	Critique
Compensation agent	Ellenbecker & Byleckie, 2005 (USA)	Descriptive	340 home healthcare nurses from 10 agencies in the USA	Explore the factors that contribute to the variability in home healthcare nurses’ JS from the results of a JS survey	The greatest amount of variability in JS is salary, benefits, stress, workload and organizational factors	Missing data from organizations on salary, benefits and workload. Reliance on self-report
Compensation agent	Qin, et al., 2014 (USA)	Longitudinal, correlational	2,639 nursing homes HCWs in New England, USA	Determine the influence of specific workplace characteristics on filing of workers compensation claims among HCWs who report low back pain	55.9% of participants reported low back pain within the past 3 months. 8.7% filed compensation claims. Most back pain caused by patient/material handling. Lower job strain, higher pain severity and physical demand increase probability of seeking compensation benefits. NAs are more likely to claim compensation. Other titles, higher levels of social support, education, BMI and higher level of schedule control decrease likelihood of filing a claim	Social desirability responses. 50% of claims made after first survey. Sample specific to nursing homes. Union membership increases likelihood to file a workers compensation claim, but none of the selected homes were unionized.
Compensation agent	Spetz, 2008 (USA)	Longitudinal	5,066 RNs employed in California hospitals	Examines whether nurses employed in California hospitals have perceived improvements in working conditions since the passing of the minimum staffing levels legislation in 1999. This is measured by 2 surveys completed by nurses at 2004 and 2006 in conjunction with regional survey data	Overall nurse satisfaction improved from 2004 to 2006, particularly with staffing adequacy, time for patient education, benefits, and clerical support	Survey does not specifically ask if law has improved their JS. Other factors may have caused improvement in satisfaction. Staffing is compared to regional average, not organizational
Compensation agent	Unruh, 2005 (USA)	Policy brief	Articles from 1980 to 2004 on the factors that affect the RN shortage	Examine conditions that make bedside nursing unattractive compared to other professions and other nursing occupations	Factors that prevent and drive individuals away from bedside nursing include unstable demand, difficult working conditions, and low wages	Focus on RN shortage in Florida. Non-experimental, causality cannot be determined
Compensation agent	Wieck, Dols & Northam, 2009 (USA)	Non-experimental, correlational	1,599 RNs employed in 22 South-western U.S. hospitals	Launch of the Nurse Incentive Project to determine satisfaction with current employment incentives and potential managerial actions that might decrease or delay turnover by RNs through surveys	The top three incentives for Millennial RNs are: overtime pay, paid time off, and premium pay. The top three incentives for Generation X RNs are: work environment, overtime pay, and premium pay. The top three incentives for Baby Boomer RNs are: paid time off, pension, and retirement benefits	None of the hospitals were involved with collective bargaining contracts. Low response rate. Sample has rich ethnic mix
Workers’ compensation board/insurer caseworker	Porter, et al., 2010 (USA)	Quasi-experimental	1,719–1,856 RNs employed at Magnet, urban teaching hospital in North-eastern U.S.	The nursing labor management partnership intervention's effect on nurse turnover and satisfaction is examined before (2005) and after (2008) it's implementation. The intervention had nursing leaders (bargaining and non-bargaining) work collaboratively to improve patient care and outcomes	A significant decrease in nurse turnover and significant increase in nurse satisfaction resulted after the intervention	Sample groups were not kept the same between the two periods
Workers’ compensation board/insurer caseworker	Seago, et al., 2011 (USA)	Descriptive, correlational	35,724–33,549 RNs working in the USA	Examine whether unionization is associated with the JS among RNs in the USA using nationally representative surveys of RNs (2004 and 2008)	In 2004 and 2008, union representation was negatively associated with JS but has improved slightly	Union nurses may be more vocal and less fearful about voicing concerns
Workers’ compensation board/insurer caseworker	Swan & Harrington, 2007 (USA)	Correlational	1,155 nursing facilities (NFs) in California	Examine the effects of unionization on quality of NFs	Unionized NFs show more complaints than nonunionized NFs. Nonunionized NFs had more serious violations, particularly when the proportion of unionized NFs in the county was higher	Unionization characteristics may vary from this state
Medical evaluation office	Castle, et al., 2009 (USA)	Cross-sectional	3 survey pools from 2004 on occupational safety and regional demographics	Examine the association between workplace injuries and organizational factors, caregiver staffing levels, and quality	For-profit facilities and facilities with high NA staff levels are less likely to report high injury rates. Facilities with high RN staff levels and are of lower quality are more likely to report high injury rates	Causality cannot be determined. Injuries may be underreported. Findings may have limited practical significance
Medical evaluation office	Martin, 2011 (USA)	Cross-sectional	735 nurses working in Maine	A questionnaire explores factors affecting nurses’ ability and willingness to work during the 2009 pandemic flu	90.1% reported they would work. Willingness decreased primarily when PPE dwindled, the nurse or family member perceived to be at risk, and when vaccine and antiviral medication was not provided to the nurse and/or their family. Ability decreased primarily when the nurse was sick, a loved one needed care at home, or when transportation problems existed	Minimal racial, ethnic and gender diversity. Self-selection bias. Measured intentions, not actual behavior
Medical evaluation office	Neal-Boylan, 2008 (USA)	Qualitative	14 RNs with physical disability working in North-eastern USA	RNs with physical disability and nurse employers are interviewed to explore their experiences	RNs with physical disability are leaving the workplace. These nurses often hide their disabilities because they fear being rejected for employment and being stigmatized by colleagues. Employers are not typically making accommodations to permit these nurses to work safely and effectively	Sample is not diverse in ethnicity and gender. In nature to qualitative studies, the findings cannot be generalized