Affiliations: The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University,
Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Göteborg, Sweden | University of Skövde, School of Life Sciences,
Skövde, Sweden | Örebro University, Department of Health Sciences,
Örebro, Sweden | Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska
Institute, Stockholm, Sweden | Department of Occupational and Environmental Health,
Stockholm Centre for Public Health, Stockholm, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Kerstin Nilsson, PhD, The
Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Institute of Health and Care
Sciences, Box 457, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden. Tel.: +46 31 786 60 28; Fax:
+46 31 786 60 50; E-mail: kerstin.nilsson@fhs. gu.se
Abstract: Background: This study focuses on employees' experience of
occupational health in a radiology department within a Swedish university
hospital during years of continual reorganisations. This department's stable
personal health trends in terms of self-rated mental health and sick-leave
rates diverged from the general trends of deteriorating working conditions in
the hospital. Aim: The aim was to identify dimensions of working
conditions as positive determinants contributing to occupational health in a
department of radiology undergoing continual reorganisations. Method:
Open-ended interviews with twelve employees were transcribed and analyzed using
content-analysis. Result: The employees experienced their new stimulating
working tasks and a supporting organizational climate as important contributors
to the healthy work condition. Conclusion: The positive effects of
handling new technical challenges and the positive organisational climate,
which were characterized by mutual trust, as well as work-confidence and
respect for each others' competence, seem to function as buffering factors,
balancing the negative effects of parallel downsizing and restructuring
processes.
