Nurses' job satisfaction and patient falls

The growing concern about the low job satisfaction among nurses and the achievement of positive patient outcomes are critical healthcare issues. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to determine the relationship between nurses' job satisfaction and patient fall rate on adult medical and surgical units.

Secondary data from a nurses' job satisfaction survey at a large not-for-profit acute care hospital on the East coast was used. The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators-Adapted Index of Work Satisfaction (NDNQI-AIWS) was used to measure nurses' job satisfaction. The sample included 161 nurses from 12 adult acute medical and surgical units. The study used retrospective data collected by the Department of Nursing on patient fall rate. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between nurse job satisfaction and patient fall rate. In addition, exploratory descriptive analysis was conducted by type of unit (i.e., medical or surgical).

No significant relationship was found between overall nurses' job satisfaction and patient fall rate. MD-RN interactions (r = .65) and decision-making (r = .57) were the job satisfaction subscales that showed a significant positive correlation with patient fall rate (p < .05). Recommendations for future research are provided.