Does job satisfaction mediate the relationship between healthy work environment and care quality?

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• A healthy work environment is linked to improved nurse job satisfaction and patient care outcomes.
• Associations between work environment, job satisfaction, and quality of care (QC) in Chinese intensive care units (ICUs) require further examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mediating role of nurse job satisfaction in the relationship between a healthy work environment and nurse-reported QC within Chinese ICUs.

Main Methods:

• 706 nurses from 28 ICUs across 14 tertiary hospitals participated.
• Self-reported questionnaires assessed healthy work environment, job satisfaction, and quality of patient care.
• Mediation analysis was employed to examine the relationships.

Main Results:

• A positive correlation was found between the nurse work environment and reported QC in ICUs.
• Nurse job satisfaction demonstrated a full mediating effect in medical-surgical, surgical, and neonatal/pediatric ICUs.
• A partial mediating effect of job satisfaction was observed in medical ICUs.

Conclusions:

• Nurse job satisfaction significantly mediates the impact of the work environment on quality of care.
• Interventions targeting nurse job satisfaction can enhance both nurse and patient care outcomes in ICUs.
• Findings support the strategic use of job satisfaction as a mediator for improving healthcare quality.