Organizational Dehumanization of Nurses in Healthcare Systems: A Scoping Review

Context. Nurses play a critical role in the primary health care system. Yet, some nurses report experiencing a sense of being reduced to a mere number within the health system. This feeling could be indicative of experiences of organizational dehumanization, a phenomenon receiving increasing attention in organizational psychology. However, much of the published research on dehumanization in the healthcare system is limited to the experience of patients, leaving that of nurses poorly understood.

Objective. To clarify the definition of organizational dehumanization as experienced by nurses.

Study Design. A scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).

Dataset. Several databases (PubMed, CINALH, PsycInfo, Web of science) were used for the literature search. The reference lists of selected articles were also consulted. A total of 812 articles were extracted from the databases. Once the duplicates had been removed, 581 articles were analyzed, and fewer than twenty were included in the final pool of articles.

Population Studied. To be selected, articles had to refer to nurses’ experiences of dehumanization as their main topic and be published in peer-reviewed journals in French or English. No restriction on the year of publication was considered since few studies on the subject were published.

Analysis. A thematic content analysis was conducted.

Outcome. Organizational dehumanization is defined in various ways in the literature. It takes different forms depending on the context.

Conclusion. Limited studies focused on this important issue. Defining the key components of organizational dehumanization in nursing may spark meaningful reflection, promoting nurses’ retention within the public healthcare system and enhancing the effectiveness of healthcare services.