Influencing Factors of Thriving at Work of Operating Room Nurses: A Qualitative Study Based on Social Ecosystem...

The thriving at work of operating room nurses is crucial to patient safety, the quality of nursing care, and team stability. However, the current understanding of the status quo, influencing factors, and mechanisms underlying thriving at work among Chinese operating room nurses remains limited.

This study aimed to explore the factors influencing thriving at work among operating room nurses based on social ecosystem theory.

A descriptive qualitative research design was used.

Sixteen operating room nurses were recruited in Xinjiang from February to March 2025 and interviewed face-to-face. Data were analyzed using NVivo 12.0 software, and themes were identified via Colaizzi's seven-step analysis.

The analysis yielded three themes and nine subthemes aligned with the domains of social ecosystem theory: (1) microsystem: coping ability and personal character; (2) mezzosystem: work-family role conflict and responsibilities, collaboration of the work team, positive feedback for work, colleague-related emotional experiences, and nurse manager support and empowerment; and (3) macrosystem: societal perceptions of the nursing role and professional standards for operating room practice.

From the perspective of social ecosystem theory, this study systematically identified influencing factors of operating room nurses' thriving at work at micro-, mezzo-, and macrolevels for the first time. In the future, managers should attach importance to these factors, establish an individual-organization-society multidimensional support system, and implement personalized management strategies to facilitate coordinated development of individuals and organizations.