Why do nurses choose to stay silent?: a qualitative study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to explore nurses' views and experiences regarding remaining silent. Background: Silence is a barrier for organizational improvement and can occur for many reasons; it cannot be simply defined as the opposite of speaking out. Method: An exploratory qualitative design was used for this study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews in 2016 with 24 nurses who were recruited by using a snowball sampling method. Results: Three themes emerged as a result of the thematic analysis: fear, silence climate and disengagement. The first theme contained three subthemes: avoidance of being seen as a troublemaker, financial loss and reluctance to reveal lack of ability or knowledge. The results indicated that nurses remained silent when they felt unsupported or psychologically unsafe in their work environment. Conclusion: Encouraging nurses to express their opinions is essential for creating a psychologically safe nursing work environment and an organizational climate that supports open communication. Because the majority of healthcare professionals are nurses, they can act as role models and change agents for other nurses if they are encouraged to share their ideas and opinions without fear of retribution.