TY - JOUR T1 - The resistance of nurses to austerity measures in the health sector during the financial crisis in Spain JO - Gaceta Sanitaria T2 - AU - Gea-Sánchez,Montserrat AU - Briones-Vozmediano,Erica AU - Legido-Quigley,Helena AU - Muntaner,Carles AU - Rocaspana,Mariona AU - Blanco-Blanco,Joan SN - 02139111 M3 - 10.1016/j.gaceta.2019.08.009 DO - 10.1016/j.gaceta.2019.08.009 UR - https://www.gacetasanitaria.org/en-the-resistance-nurses-austerity-measures-articulo-S0213911119302195 AB - ObjectiveThis study explores nurses’ perspectives on how the financial crisis and austerity measures introduced in the Spanish Health System affected their ability to provide care in these new circumstances MethodCross-sectional observational study. In 2013, during an international annual congress in Spain, 123 nurses out of a total of 350 attendees completed a 14-item open-ended response questionnaire to examine the perceived impact of the financial crisis and austerity measures on quality of services and their experiences at work. Results84% of the sample were women and the mean age of the respondents was 40 (standard deviation: 11.13). Seventy-seven percent of the nurses reported austerity measures introduced in their workplace. The nurses voiced strong disagreement with austerity measures (86%), due to the negative repercussions on nurses’ working conditions (47%), a decrease in human resources (37%), negative effects such as work overload (37%); a perceived deterioration in the quality of healthcare (77%) and pharmaceutical services (86%); and worsening conditions in access to health services by vulnerable populations (43%), leading to ethical dilemmas in clinical practice (26%). ConclusionThis study showed that nurses participating in this study overwhelmingly opposed austerity measures imposed on the National Health System as a response to the financial crisis, which had a negative effect both on nurses’ working conditions and on the quality of health services. Institutional measures to improve recruitment and retention of nurses including policies for preventing stress and burnout, a decrease of patient-nurse ratio, and greater work stability should be considered. ER -