Perception of nurses on the practice environment: experience from Malaysia

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice Environment
• Healthcare Management
• Health Workforce Studies

Background:

• Positive professional practice environments are essential for a healthy healthcare workforce, ensuring quality patient care and safety.
• Nurses' perceptions of their work environment significantly impact healthcare delivery.
• Understanding these perceptions is key to improving working conditions and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess nurses' perceptions of their nursing practice environment.
• To identify factors associated with nurses' perceptions of the practice environment.
• To evaluate specific subscales of the nursing work environment.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PESNWI) questionnaire.
• Data collected from 366 nurses across two Ministry of Health hospitals.
• Statistical analysis included simple and multiple linear regression using STATA version 14.0.

Main Results:

• The overall nursing practice environment was perceived as favorable (mean score 2.90±0.03).
• Foundation for quality nursing care was the most favorable subscale; workforce adequacy was the least favorable.
• Working extended hours, double shifts, and working on days off were associated with unfavorable perceptions of workforce adequacy.

Conclusions:

• The nursing practice environment in the studied hospitals is generally favorable.
• Further attention to human resource planning and management is needed to address nurse staffing challenges.
• Improving workforce adequacy is critical for enhancing the overall nursing practice environment.