Empowerment of Nurses From a Hospital in the South of Chile

Abstract

Objective: to identify the level of empowerment among the nurses from a hospital located in the south of Chile and verify its potential association with personal and professional characterization variables. Method: cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted with 117 nurses from a hospital in the south of Chile. Data were collected in 2018 using a personal and professional characterization form and the Spanish version of the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: the means of the factors of the empowerment scale were: Opportunity (4.11±0.82); Information (3.81±0.90); Support (3.81±0.86), and Resources (3.13±0.97). Statistically significant differences were found between empowerment and having greater professional experience, working in the medical-surgical unit, having from 3 to 10 patients under responsibility, job satisfaction, and intention to quit their jobs. Conclusion: the nurses reported a positive perception of empowerment in their roles, especially concerning having opportunities to perform tasks that contribute to acquiring new knowledge and skills at work.

Experiences of Intensive Care Nurses in Caregiving for Coronavirus (COVID-19) Patients: A Phenomenological Approach

“…Empowerment is a significant concept for the development of professional nursing. Empowerment of nurses is an essential condition for their participation in decision-making processes, being an effective member of the team and increasing the quality of care in the COVID-19 pandemic process (Akintujoye, 2020;Masias et al, 2020). Nurses working in intensive care units, where high-quality care is indispensable, have to be supported and empowered more than nurses working in other departments, because empowered nurses exhibit high job satisfaction and motivation, experience less work stress and less burnout and reduce negative patient outcomes.…”

“…Nurses working in intensive care units, where high-quality care is indispensable, have to be supported and empowered more than nurses working in other departments, because empowered nurses exhibit high job satisfaction and motivation, experience less work stress and less burnout and reduce negative patient outcomes. A nurse who works by taking responsibility feels stronger, which brings about professionalization (Masias et al, 2020;Sadeghi Gandomani et al, 2020). In our study, the intensive care nurses expressed that they were informed about the intervention in the pandemic, performed their jobs more meticulously and at the forefront and tried to complete the missing parts of their knowledge because they provided care to COVID-19 patients.…”