Nurses' Perceptions of Their Practice Environment in Public Hospitals: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Hospital Administration

Background:

• The practice environment significantly impacts registered nurses' job satisfaction and patient care quality.
• Understanding nurses' perceptions is crucial for improving healthcare delivery in public hospital settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate registered nurses' perceptions of their practice environment within public hospitals in Hong Kong.
• To identify specific aspects of the nursing work environment that are perceived as favorable or unfavorable.

Main Methods:

• A 12-month repeated cross-sectional study design.
• Quarterly surveys administered to registered nurses across 71 adult medical and surgical wards in four public hospitals.
• Utilized the 31-item Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) for data collection, with participant numbers ranging from 604 to 865 per wave.

Main Results:

• Four out of five subscales of the PES-NWI scored above 2.5 on average, indicating generally favorable practice environments.
• The subscale 'Staffing and resource adequacy' was rated unfavorably by the participating registered nurses.
• Consistent perceptions were observed across the four quarterly survey waves.

Conclusions:

• While most aspects of the practice environment are viewed positively by nurses, staffing and resource adequacy remain significant concerns in Hong Kong public hospitals.
• Addressing the identified issues in staffing and resource allocation is essential for enhancing the overall nursing practice environment.
• Future interventions should focus on improving nurse staffing levels and resource availability to support registered nurses.