Emergency Service/Department as an (Un)Favorable Nursing Practice Environment

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Emergency departments face high nursing workload and unpredictable patient flow.
• Favorable nursing practice environments are recommended by national and international organizations.
• The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) is a key assessment tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate nurses' perceptions of the practice environment in a Portuguese emergency department.
• Utilize the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) for assessment.
• Identify specific dimensions for intervention to improve the nursing environment.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative, cross-sectional study design.
• Data collected via electronic forms after Ethics Committee approval.
• Employed the Portuguese version of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI).

Main Results:

• 78 nurses participated, perceiving the environment as "mixed."
• Nurse manager ability, leadership, support, and nurse-physician relations were favorable.
• Staffing and resource adequacy were unfavorable; nurse participation and quality of care foundations were neutral.
• Nurses with postgraduate education reported less favorable nurse-physician relations.

Conclusions:

• The emergency department presents a mixed nursing practice environment.
• Specific PES-NWI dimensions require targeted interventions to enhance the environment.
• Study serves as a foundation for improving nursing working conditions and health outcomes.