Acceptability of an e-Learning Program to Help Nursing Assistants Manage Relationship Conflict in Nursing Homes

Background: Management of nursing assistants’ (NAs) emotional stress from relationship conflicts with residents, families, and coworkers is rarely the focus of educational programs. Our objective was to gather feedback from NAs and their nursing supervisors (NSs) about the utility of our e-learning program for managing relationship stress. Methods: A total of 147 NAs and their NSs from 17 long-term care homes viewed the educational modules (DVD slides with voice-over), either individually or in small groups, and provided feedback using conference call focus groups. Results: Qualitative analysis of NA feedback showed that workplace relationship conflict stress was associated with workload and the absence of a forum for discussing relationship conflicts that was not acknowledged by NSs. Conclusion: This accessible e-learning program provides NAs with strategies for managing stressful emotions arising from workplace relationship conflict situations and underscores the importance of supervisory support and team collaboration in coping with emotionally evoked workplace stress.