Nurses Work Environment and Patients' Quality of Care

Background: Nurses' work environment has been recognized as a crucial variable for the provision of quality healthcare services. Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the work environment of the nurses and investigate the relation between the work environment and selected patients' safety indicators. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted and a convenience sample of 520 nurses, from five public general hospitals of a Regional Health Authority, were recruited to participate in the study. Four hundred thirty two completed questionnaires were collected and analyzed (response rate 83.07%). Results: Participants scored collegial nurse - physician relations (Mean = 2.74, SD = 0.47) as the most favorable characteristic of their work environment and nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses (Mean = 2.60, SD = 0.59) as the next most favorable. The overall PES-NWI scored < 2.5 (Mean = 2.44, SD = 0.38) indicating a non - favorable nurses workplace. Regarding the patient safety indicators, the catheterassociated infection was the most frequently reported indicator by the nurses, as 51.6% reported it as frequent/very frequent and the next most frequent indicator was pressure ulcers, as 40.3% of the participants reported it as frequent/very frequent. Nurses that stated medication error as frequent/very frequent safety indicator scored lower nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses, and collegial nurse-physician relations (p=0.044 and p=0.031 respectively). Conclusions: The study revealed that nurses work in a non - favorable work environment. Hospital and nurse managers have to work together for the improvement of nurses' work environment, as it is a prerequisite for the provision of quality and safety patient care.