Assessing the factors associated with nurses' perceptions of decent work: a multicenter cross-sectional study

This study aimed to examine factors associated with nurses' perceptions of decent work and to provide empirical evidence to inform the optimization of their work environment.

This was a multicenter cross-sectional study.

This study used a convenience sampling method. Between February and March 2024, we recruited a total of 694 clinical nurses from six tertiary hospitals in two provinces of China. The study used the Professional Quality of Life (ProQoL) Scale, the Decent Work Perceptions Scale (DWPS), and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) to collect data. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation, and stepwise multiple linear regression.

The results showed that social support (β = 0.150, p < 0.001) and compassion satisfaction (β = 0.373, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with nurses' perceptions of decent work. In addition, income (<5,000 vs. 5,000-10,000; <5,000 vs. >15,000), department (β = -0.504, p < 0.001), job category (β = 0.360, p = 0.001), and education level (specialist vs. master's degree) were significantly associated with differences in nurses' perceptions of decent work (all p < 0.05).

The findings indicate that nurses' perceptions of decent work are related to multiple individual, occupational, and contextual factors. These results suggest that managerial strategies focusing on professional development opportunities, remuneration structures, departmental conditions and work demands, social support, and compassion satisfaction may be relevant to improving nurses' experiences of decent work.