Systematic review of interventions to improve nurses' work environments

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Nurses' work environments significantly impact healthcare quality and patient safety.
• Evidence on effective interventions to improve these environments is crucial for optimizing outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review evidence on interventions targeting nurses' work environments.
• To identify effective intervention characteristics and their impact on nurse, patient, and hospital outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative systematic review without meta-analysis.
• Searched nine databases for peer-reviewed publications up to April 2019.
• Utilized the Donabedian model and ROBINS-I for quality appraisal.

Main Results:

• Effective interventions focused on process improvement, participatory approaches, and unit-level implementation.
• Key characteristics included greater involvement of frontline staff and nurse executives.
• Interventions comprised accreditation, educational strategies, and participatory methods.

Conclusions:

• Heterogeneity in study designs limits definitive conclusions on optimal interventions.
• Identified research gaps and strategies for designing future interventions.
• Unit-level process improvements involving staff can lead to healthier work environments and better outcomes.