General well-being of intensive care nurses: A prototype analysis

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Psychology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Previous prototype analyses have defined well-being characteristics for various professions, but not specifically for intensive care nurses.
• Understanding the unique aspects of well-being in intensive care nursing is essential due to the demanding nature of the role.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify intensive care nurses' conceptions of general well-being.
• To investigate the prototypical organization of well-being among intensive care nurses.

Main Methods:

• A prototype analysis was conducted across three linked studies involving 65 New Zealand nurses.
• Study 1: Nurses reported features of well-being.
• Study 2: Investigated the organization and centrality of these features.
• Study 3: Confirmatory analyses sought to confirm prototypical organization.

Main Results:

• The most frequently reported elements of well-being included physical health, work-life balance, and personal relationships.
• Mental and emotional health, general health, and work-life balance were rated as most central to well-being.
• A positive correlation was found between the centrality ratings and the frequency of reported elements (r=0.33, P<.005).

Conclusions:

• Physical health, work-life balance, and personal relationships are identified as key characteristics of well-being for intensive care nurses.
• Mental, emotional, and general health, alongside work-life balance, are considered most important for overall well-being in this cohort.
• These findings can inform the development and measurement of targeted well-being programs for intensive care nurses.