Job satisfaction among nurses in Eastern Mediterranean Region hospitals: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Job satisfaction is the extent to which an employee feels positively or negatively toward their job. Hospitals with high job satisfaction among nurses provide higher-quality nursing care, resulting in higher patient satisfaction.

This study was conducted to determine job satisfaction among nurses in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) hospitals.

This research was a meta-analysis of research on job satisfaction among nurses in EMR hospitals. All studies published in three databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) and Google Scholar search engine were searched, collected, and assessed for quality. The STROBE checklist was used to determine the quality of the studies. Finally, 13 articles were analyzed using the CMA software.

Based on the random effects model, the overall job satisfaction among nurses in EMR hospitals was 17.9% (95% CI (11.9-26.0)). The highest job satisfaction was in hospitals in Palestine. Job satisfaction among nurses was higher in high-income countries than in others. The level of job satisfaction was also higher in private hospitals. Moreover, the results showed that average age and sample size caused heterogeneity between the reviewed studies (p < 0.05).

According to the results of this study, about 18% of nurses in EMR hospitals felt satisfied with their job. Therefore, healthcare managers and policymakers in the EMR region must identify and eliminate the causes of dissatisfaction.