Influencing factors of work engagement among ophthalmic specialized nurses in China: a cross-sectional study

This study aims to investigate the current status of work engagement among ophthalmic specialized nurses in China and explore the multifaceted factors influencing work engagement from the physical, psychological, and social perspectives.

This study adopts a cross-sectional survey design, distributed electronic questionnaires through WeChat software, and 261 valid questionnaires were received from ophthalmic specialized nurses. The survey includes demographic information about ophthalmic specialized nurses, as well as work engagement, sleep quality and social support. A generalized linear model was used to investigate the factors influencing the work engagement of ophthalmic specialized nurses.

The overall work engagement score among ophthalmic specialized nurses in our study was 143.70 ± 13.66. Multivariate analysis showed that participation in teaching, professional title, sleep quality and perceived social support were the influencing factors of work engagement of ophthalmic specialized nurses.

The results showed that ophthalmic specialized nurses with the title of "senior nurse", participating in teaching had higher work engagement. According to the Two-Factor Theory, incentive factors can stimulate the work enthusiasm of specialized nurses. The worse the sleep quality of ophthalmic specialized nurses, the lower the work engagement. It is suggested that nursing managers should pay attention to the sleep problems of specialized nurses and reduce work burnout. The nurses who perceived higher levels of social support exhibited higher work engagement. Because social support can mitigate nurses' work burnout and work-related stress.

Ophthalmic specialized nurses in China demonstrate a relatively high level of work engagement. Those with the title of senior nurse, involvement in teaching, better sleep quality, and higher perceived social support exhibit higher work engagement.