Work engagement supports nurse workforce stability and quality of care: nursing team‐level analysis in psychiatric hospitals

Abstract

Research in healthcare settings reveals important links between work environment factors, burnout and organizational outcomes. Recently, research focuses on work engagement, the opposite (positive) pole from burnout. The current study investigated the relationship of nurse practice environment aspects and work engagement (vigour, dedication and absorption) to job outcomes and nurse-reported quality of care variables within teams using a multilevel design in psychiatric inpatient settings. Validated survey instruments were used in a cross-sectional design. Team-level analyses were performed with staff members (n = 357) from 32 clinical units in two psychiatric hospitals in Belgium. Favourable nurse practice environment aspects were associated with work engagement dimensions, and in turn work engagement was associated with job satisfaction, intention to stay in the profession and favourable nurse-reported quality of care variables. The strongest multivariate models suggested that dedication predicted positive job outcomes whereas nurse management predicted perceptions of quality of care. In addition, reports of quality of care by the interdisciplinary team were predicted by dedication, absorption, nurse-physician relations and nurse management. The study findings suggest that differences in vigour, dedication and absorption across teams associated with practice environment characteristics impact nurse job satisfaction, intention to stay and perceptions of quality of care.

Relationship between job demand and burnout in nurses: does it depend on work engagement?

“…, Othman & Nasurdin , Van Bogaert et al . ), whereas in other studies a relationship was only observed between social support and burnout (García‐Izquierdo & Ríos‐Rísquez , Ariapooran ). Although the results are consistent with previous literature, the hypothesis is only partly supported.…”

Work engagement and its predictors in registered nurses: A cross‐sectional design

“…Regarding the three dimensions of work engagement, dedication had the highest score, followed by absorption and vigor. Employees with high dedication and low vigor had relatively strong intention to turnover, especially when they also had heavy workload (Van Bogaert, Wouters, Willems, Mondelaers, & Clarke, ). Thus, the relatively low total score of work engagement and the lowest dimension of vigor might be of interest to nurse leaders.…”

Autonomous home-care nursing staff are more engaged in their work and less likely to consider leaving the healthcare sector: A questionnaire survey

“…patient mortality and complication rates in hospitals), organisational outcomes (profitability) and employees' health outcomes (nurses' physical and mental health) rather than job outcomes such as considering leaving the healthcare sector (Bargagliotti, 2012;Laschinger and Finegan, 2005;Simpson, 2009). Nevertheless, in their small-scale survey study including teams of nurses and non-registered caregivers in two psychiatric hospitals, Van Bogaert et al (2013) found that team work engagement is positively associated with intention to stay in the profession. Furthermore, Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) found a negative association between employees' work engagement and turnover intention among employees in a home-care organisation.…”