Discrimination Experiences Among Nursing Staff in Germany

A German survey asked nursing professionals about unfair treatment they experienced from patients. The study used a standard questionnaire to capture how often different kinds of unfair treatment occurred and why respondents thought it happened.

Both nurses with and without a migration background reported frequent experiences of unfair treatment, and those with a migration background reported some experiences more often, including those attributed to ethnic origin. The differences between groups were not statistically significant, and the authors call for further research to better understand and contextualize these findings.

What the study examined

This study explored reports of unfair treatment experienced by nursing professionals in their interactions with patients. Using a well-known questionnaire called the Everyday Discrimination Scale, researchers collected responses from nursing staff working in hospitals and nursing care facilities in Germany between July and October 2022.

The work compared nurses who have a migration background with those who do not, focusing on what kinds of unfair treatment occurred, how often they happened, and what reasons the nurses attributed to those experiences.

Key findings

• Both groups reported frequent experiences of unfair treatment from patients. Many of the surveyed situations were reported to occur at least weekly or almost daily by respondents.

• Nurses with a migration background reported most of the listed experiences more often than those without a migration background. Among the reasons given for these experiences, gender and age were mentioned by both groups.

• In addition, nurses with a migration background specifically reported experiences they linked to ethnic origin. Despite these differences in reported frequency, the comparisons between the two groups did not reach statistical significance in this study.

• The authors present the results as a starting point, noting that additional studies, including qualitative research, are needed to confirm and provide context for these patterns.

Why it matters

Reports of unfair treatment toward nursing staff are important because they reflect the day-to-day social dynamics between patients and caregivers. Understanding what kinds of situations occur and how often they are reported can help shape future research and workplace conversations.

These findings highlight that several personal attributes were cited as reasons for unfair treatment, and that nurses with a migration background more often linked some experiences to ethnic origin. The study’s authors suggest using these results as a basis for further work that can explore causes and experiences in more depth.