Systemic Organizational Changes in Health Care and Their Implications for Job Crafting in Nursing: A Systematic...

Shaping the work environment in nursing reflects the concept of job crafting, which involves proactive strategies by nurses to redefine tasks, social interactions, and cognitive framing of work, aiming to increase its perceived significance and job satisfaction. The systematic review aims to comprehensively synthesize all relevant research evidence on job crafting within the framework of the healthcare system.

A review was conducted, using a systematic search of selected literature related to job crafting in the healthcare system, with a particular focus on nurses. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and CINAHL. The search included studies published between January 2015 and January 2025. The prepared review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. A predefined search strategy was systematically applied to the identified records. The work was registered in the PROSPERO database.

A total of twenty-five full-text records were included in the final review. Based on the analysis of key domains, such as work engagement (including work efficiency), commitment to work, job satisfaction, intention to remain in the profession, quality of care, and burnout, directions for the development of job crafting were identified. A review of studies indicates that job crafting is positively and significantly associated with work engagement, commitment to work, and job satisfaction (r = 0.22-0.70) and negatively associated with burnout (r = -0.41 to -0.24). Although individual analyses have reported a lack of statistical significance or different directions of dependence, the overall picture confirms the beneficial role of job crafting for employee well-being. Additionally, the analysis highlighted the need for further research in these areas. While numerous studies have examined the concept of job crafting in nursing, the review underscores a persistent gap in the literature, specifically concerning the linkage between employee motivation and proactive modifications of the work environment.

Job crafting can help to reduce burnout among nurses by enabling them to adapt their tasks, relationships, and perceptions of work. Higher levels of job crafting are associated with greater work engagement, job satisfaction, and intention to remain in the profession, particularly when it involves modifying tasks and relationships. Job crafting is facilitated by autonomy, a supportive organizational culture, and supervisory support but hindered by rigid procedures, heavy workloads, staff shortages, and limited decision-making opportunities. Although nurses' knowledge, experience, and interpersonal skills are keys to effective job crafting, organizational systems often fail to utilize these competencies.