Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
06:52
Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
An exploratory study about meaningful work in acute care nursing
1University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA. cpavlish@sonnet.ucla.edu
Nursing Forum
|April 20, 2012
Summary
Nurses find meaning in their work through connections, contributions, and recognition. Positive work environments foster meaningfulness, while negative ones create barriers, impacting job satisfaction and care quality.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Healthcare Management
- Organizational Psychology
Background:
- Limited qualitative research exists on nurses' perceptions of meaningful work.
- Meaningful work is linked to job satisfaction, retention, and quality of care.
- Understanding contextual factors influencing meaning is crucial for healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore acute care nurses' perceptions of meaningful work.
- To identify factors that facilitate or hinder finding meaning in nursing roles.
Main Methods:
- Narrative design with 13 acute care nurses.
- Analysis of 24 stories of meaningful moments.
- Categorical-content analysis using Atlas.ti software.
Main Results:
- Three themes of meaningful work: connections, contributions, and recognition.
- Facilitators include learning environments, teamwork, supportive management, and patient time.
- Barriers include task-focused environments, stressful relationships, and divisive management.
Conclusions:
- Nurse administrators are vital in fostering meaningful work environments.
- Improving work environments can enhance nurse job satisfaction and healthcare outcomes.
- Findings offer strategies for nurse leaders to improve job satisfaction and quality of care.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Aims Of Nursing
Nursing involves independent, cooperative, person-centered care for people of all ages, families, groups, and communities. Nurses assist the sick or the well person in all settings. Nursing includes promoting health, preventing illness, and caring for ill, disabled, and dying people. Health promotion encourages people to take responsibility for their health. It focuses on the healthy behavior of individuals, families, and the community and the factors that impact their health. Examples of...
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Documentation in long-term care facilities and home healthcare settings is crucial for ensuring continuous, coordinated, and comprehensive care for patients. Each setting has its specific documentation processes and tools:
Long-Term Care Facilities
Long-Term Care Facilities
01:30Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice
Theories play an essential role in organizing patient care. Theories refer to a proposed or followed belief, policy, or procedure that is the basis for action. Nursing theories are knowledge-based concepts that guide nurses' actions, influence nursing education and practice, and allow nurses to care for their patients.
Theories provide a perspective to assess patients' conditions and organize data and methods. They also assist in analyzing and interpreting information. They represent a...
Theories provide a perspective to assess patients' conditions and organize data and methods. They also assist in analyzing and interpreting information. They represent a...
01:15Nursing Evaluation
The evaluation stage signals the end of the nursing process. The nurse gathers evaluative data to assess whether or not the patient has attained the expected results. Whereas the nurse collects data in the nursing assessment to identify the patient's health concerns, the evaluation stage data determines if the indicated health issues are resolved. Evaluative data collection includes two sections: the data acquired to evaluate patient outcomes and the time criteria for data collection.
Section...
Section...
01:13Patient-centered Care
Patient-centered care involves delivering care beyond inpatient hospitalization. Reflective practice can enhance a patient-centered approach. Reflective practice is a process of reasoning that considers all aspects of the present situation, including practicalities, learning from personal practice, and consideration of patient needs. Patients appreciate care decisions made while considering their input. Involving the patient in their care provides the patient with a sense of contribution rather...
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
Ethical principles are essential in guiding nurses to fulfill their responsibilities, focusing on the quality of nursing care and decision-making. These principles, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, shape the ethical framework within healthcare settings.
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...