Aim To identify evidence related to association between the nurse work environment and severe maternal morbidity in high‐income countries. Design Quantitative Systematic review. Data Sources Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed/Medline, and Scopus were systematically searched for studies published in English from January 1990‐December 2019. Studies were selected based on a priori eligibility criteria. Review Methods Two independent reviewers used a two‐phase screening process. First, the reviewers assessed the eligibility of studies based on titles and abstracts; followed by assessing the full text of all remaining studies based on the eligibility criteria. An adapted version of the Joanna Briggs Institute data extraction tool was created to extract relevant information from studies reviewed during the second screening phase. Results Of the 535 de‐duplicated articles examined by two independent reviewers, there were no eligible empirical studies that assessed the association between nurse work environment and severe maternal morbidity. Conclusion There is a critical gap in knowledge regarding how characteristics of the nurse work environment may influence severe maternal morbidity in high‐income countries. Future directions for nursing research include using available maternal health surveillance hospital‐level data, conducting high‐quality studies, and using evidence‐based frameworks to guide future studies. Future directions for nursing practice include leveraging professional learning communities for nursing education and training and leveraging quality improvement initiatives. Impact As the first known systematic review of its kind, this ‘empty review’ provides evidence of a lacking body of literature on the association between nurse work environment, as a modifiable organizational characteristic and preventable severe maternal morbidity in high‐income countries. This article provides a call to action in the form of five recommendations for future nursing research and practice, which could serve to elucidate research, practice, and policy opportunities to reduce preventable severe maternal morbidity in high‐income countries.
Background The United States has the highest maternal mortality and morbidity rates compared to its high-income peer nations. In high-income nations, a considerable amount of maternal morbidity cases are preventable and linked to provider-related factors. Better nurse work environments are associated with positive patient outcomes, but little is known about its impact on maternal morbidity. In this systematic review, we aim to identify the association between nurse work environment and maternal morbidity, specifically in high-income countries. Methods This systematic review will include original articles on the association between nurse work environment and maternal morbidity. CINAHL, PubMed/Medline and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials will be searched to retrieve potential original articles that are published between 1990 and 2019 in English language. Citations will be screened by two reviewers, in two rounds, for inclusion based on a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction templates will be populated with data to evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of each study. A combination of structured narrative synthesis and quantitative summaries in tabular format will allow for discussion and recommendations for future research. Discussion Results from this systematic review will provide evidence to elucidate the association between nurse work environment and maternal morbidity. While there is strong evidence demonstration the relation between nurse work environment and general patient outcomes, less is known about its influence on maternal morbidity. Findings from this review will help to guide research in the field and nursing professional in the development of targeted practices and policies aimed at reducing the rates of maternal morbidity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.