<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_sjph-2019-0021_s_006">
<h3>Objective</h3>
<p>To explore Hospital Volunteers’ (HVs) motivations and experiences, as well as the strategies they adopt to overcome challenging situations during volunteering and the needs they perceive.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2019-0021_s_007">
<h3>Methods</h3>
<p>Eleven Italian HVs were purposively approached between January and July 2016, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the descriptive phenomenological approach.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2019-0021_s_008">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>Hospital volunteering emerged as a complex experience characterised by five themes: (a) becoming a volunteer; (b) developing skills; (c) experiencing conflicting emotions; (d) overcoming role difficulties by enacting different resources and strategies; and (e) addressing emerging needs.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2019-0021_s_009">
<h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>According to the findings, hospital policies aimed at promoting volunteer integration in daily care are needed and should be based on (a) a shared vision between the hospital and the volunteer associations regarding the HVs’ role and skills; (b) the development of integrated models of care combining different workforces (i.e. professionals and volunteer staff); (c) appropriate training of HVs at baseline; (d) individualised continuous education pathways aimed at supporting HVs both emotionally and in the development of the required skills; and (e) tailored education that is directed to health-care staff aimed at helping them to value the service provided by HVs.</p></sec>
</abstract>

Objective
To explore Hospital Volunteers’ (HVs) motivations and experiences, as well as the strategies they adopt to overcome challenging situations during volunteering and the needs they perceive.

Methods
Eleven Italian HVs were purposively approached between January and July 2016, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the descriptive phenomenological approach.

Results
Hospital volunteering emerged as a complex experience characterised by five themes: (a) becoming a volunteer; (b) developing skills; (c) experiencing conflicting emotions; (d) overcoming role difficulties by enacting different resources and strategies; and (e) addressing emerging needs.

Conclusions
According to the findings, hospital policies aimed at promoting volunteer integration in daily care are needed and should be based on (a) a shared vision between the hospital and the volunteer associations regarding the HVs’ role and skills; (b) the development of integrated models of care combining different workforces (i.e. professionals and volunteer staff); (c) appropriate training of HVs at baseline; (d) individualised continuous education pathways aimed at supporting HVs both emotionally and in the development of the required skills; and (e) tailored education that is directed to health-care staff aimed at helping them to value the service provided by HVs.

Hospital volunteering experiences suggest that new policies are needed to promote their integration in daily care: Findings from a qualitative study

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Izkušnje v zvezi z opravljanjem prostovoljnega dela v bolnišnicah nakazujejo, da so potrebne nove politike za promocijo vključevanja teh izkušenj v dnevno oskrbo: Rezultati kvalitativne študije

Objective
To explore Hospital Volunteers’ (HVs) motivations and experiences, as well as the strategies they adopt to overcome challenging situations during...

Interview number	Gender	Age, years	Education	Marital status	Work status	Religiousness/ Spirituality	Volunteering example(s) in family	Overall volunteering experience, years	Experience in AVO, years	Hospital volunteering setting
I 1	F	72	Secondary school	Married	Retired	Practising Christian	No	45	9	Medical department
I 2	M	55	Middle school	Married	Retired	Non-practising Christian	No	4	4	Surgical and paediatric care departments
I 3	F	68	Secondary school	Widowed	Retired	Practising Christian	No	20	12.5	Medical department
I 4	F	54	Middle school	Married	Housekeeper	Non-practising Christian	No	14	14	Emergency and surgical departments
I 5	M	49	Secondary school	Single	Worker	Non-practising Christian	No	22	18	Medical and oncologic departments
I 6	F	67	Middle school	Married	Retired	Practising Christian	No	7	6.5	Medical and oncologic departments
I 7	F	44	Degree	Single	Office worker	Practising Christian	No	5	1.5	Medical department
I 8	M	29	Degree	Single	Estate agent	Agnostic	No	3	3	Long-term facilities
I 9	F	23	Secondary school	Single	Educator	Practising Christian	Yes (mother and uncle)	4	3.5	Spinal unit
I 10	F	54	Middle school	Divorced	Office worker	Non-practising Christian	Yes (father)	8	2	Surgical and paediatric departments
I 11	M	29	Secondary school	Single	Office worker	Atheist	No	2.5	2.5	Emergency department

Hospital volunteering experiences suggest that new policies are needed to promote their integration in daily care: Findings from a qualitative study

Article Category: Original scientific article

Data publikacji: 01 paź 2019

Zakres stron: 164 - 172

Otrzymano: 28 lut 2019

Przyjęty: 29 lip 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2019-0021

Słowa kluczowe
health and social care, health human resources policy, hospital resources, Italy, qualitative methodologies, volunteers

© 2019 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Socio-demographic characteristics of participants.

Hospital volunteering experiences suggest that new policies are needed to promote their integration in daily care: Findings from a qualitative study

Article Category: Original scientific article

Data publikacji: 01 paź 2019

Zakres stron: 164 - 172

Otrzymano: 28 lut 2019

Przyjęty: 29 lip 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2019-0021

Słowa kluczowehealth and social care, health human resources policy, hospital resources, Italy, qualitative methodologies, volunteers

© 2019 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Socio-demographic characteristics of participants.

Słowa kluczowe
health and social care, health human resources policy, hospital resources, Italy, qualitative methodologies, volunteers