Nurse work environment: comparison between private and public hospitals

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• The professional practice of nurses is significantly influenced by their work environment.
• Understanding environmental differences between public and private healthcare sectors is crucial for nurse retention and quality of care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the work environment characteristics that support the professional practice of nurses in private versus public healthcare organizations.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative, exploratory, cross-sectional study involving 188 registered nurses across four health organizations (one public, three private).
• Utilized the Brazilian version of the Nursing Work Index - Revised (NWI-R) with 15 items across three subscales: autonomy, control over practice setting, and physician relationships.
• Employed a Likert scale, where lower scores indicate a more favorable environment for nursing activities.

Main Results:

• Nurses in private hospitals reported significantly lower scores across all NWI-R subscales compared to those in public hospitals.
• These lower scores suggest a more favorable work environment in private institutions regarding autonomy, control, and physician relationships.

Conclusions:

• The work environment in private hospitals presents more favorable characteristics for the professional practice of registered nurses than that in public hospitals.
• Findings indicate potential areas for improvement in public healthcare settings to better support nursing practice.