Structural Empowerment of Nurses in the Hospital Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Structural empowerment is vital for nurses' professional growth and autonomy.
• Understanding nurses' perceptions of workplace empowerment is crucial for healthcare organizations.
• Access to opportunities, information, support, and resources defines structural empowerment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore hospital nurses' perceptions of their levels of structural empowerment.
• To identify factors influencing nurses' experiences of structural empowerment in a hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 684 nurses in a Portuguese hospital.
• Data collected via demographic questionnaire and the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II.
• Analysis focused on identifying significant differences in empowerment scores based on professional category, shift work, department, and generation.

Main Results:

• The overall mean structural empowerment score was 18.74 (SD = 3.46).
• Significant differences in empowerment were noted between specialist and general nurses, day vs. day-and-night shifts, Medicine vs. Surgery departments, and Generation Z vs. Generation Y nurses.
• Specific p-values highlight statistical significance for these observed differences.

Conclusions:

• Consistent promotion of structural empowerment is essential for all nursing staff.
• Addressing identified disparities among nursing groups is necessary to enhance professional development.
• Improving structural empowerment can positively impact the quality of patient care.