Nursing professional practice environments and job satisfaction: process and outcome interfaces.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice Environment
• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Professional nursing practice environments significantly influence nurse job satisfaction.
• Understanding the interplay between practice environment components and job satisfaction is crucial for healthcare organizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the process and outcome aspects of professional nursing practice environments.
• To determine the relationship between these environmental factors and nurses' job satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 291 nurses across eight hospitals in southern Brazil.
• Utilized sociodemographic/professional questionnaires, the Scale for the Environment Evaluation of Professional Nursing Practice, and the Job Satisfaction Survey.
• Employed descriptive and inferential statistical analyses.

Main Results:

• Process elements like theoretical/legal support and care planning scored highest; interdependent practices scored lowest.
• Outcome was favorable for quality of care, with systematic assessment of nursing care and indicators being very favorable.
• Systematic assessment of nurses' performance and supervision was moderate; process and outcome significantly affected job satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Process and outcome elements within professional nursing practice environments are critical drivers of job satisfaction.
• These findings offer actionable insights for improving nursing quality of care and promoting professional fulfillment.