Autonomy of nursing staff and the attractiveness of working in home care.

This thesis also discusses whether the assumed positive association between autonomy and attractiveness of working in home care applies to nursing staff regardless of their level of education. Furthermore, the possibility is examined of a relationship between working in a self-directed team and home-care nursing staff’s autonomy over patient care. This thesis also covers the attractiveness of delivering and organising people-centred and integrated care, which is likely to enhance home-care nursing staff’s autonomy. The downside of autonomy may be a higher risk of professional misconduct going unnoticed. This thesis explores whether home-care nursing staff know how to deal with suspicions of misconduct by colleagues.

The following general hypotheses are addressed in this thesis:
1. Autonomy is positively related to nursing staff’s self-perceived ability to remain working until retirement.
2. Home-care nursing staff value autonomy and its three dimensions: autonomy over patient care; work autonomy; and organisational autonomy.
3. Home-care nursing staff with a higher level of education attach more value to autonomy than nursing staff with a lower level of education.
4. Home-care nursing staff in self-directed work teams experience more autonomy over patient care than nursing staff in more traditionally organised teams.
5. Home-care nurses value people-centred and integrated home care.
6. Home-care nursing staff with a higher level of education experience less difficulty in reporting suspicions of professional miscond