Factors influencing workplace social capital among registered nurses in China.

AIM: To examine the modifiable predictors and the level of workplace social capital, transformational leadership, emotional intelligence and organizational justice among registered nurses in Chinese hospitals. BACKGROUND: Workplace social capital is a relational network developed among nurses and other healthcare professionals that provides social support, and gives value to their working lives. Internationally, cultivating high levels of social capital is critical as it can help improve nurse satisfaction and care, and address nurse turnover. However, knowledge of factors influencing nurses' workplace social capital is limited in China. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, descriptive predictive study, 344 registered nurses were randomly selected from three urban Chinese hospitals in Zhejiang province. Five standard instruments were applied to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to present the level of the variables and stepwise multiple regression was performed to identify the predictors of nurses' workplace social capital. RESULTS: Among eight potential factors, transformational leadership and emotional intelligence positively predicted workplace social capital. Nurses perceived the overall level of workplace social capital, emotional intelligence and unit managers' transformational leadership as high, and the overall level of organizational justice as moderate. DISCUSSION: Enhancing unit managers' transformational leadership and nurses' emotional intelligence was found to positively influence the development of workplace social capital. Although it is not a predictor of workplace social capital, nurses' organizational justice should be improved due to its importance and current unsatisfactory level. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Nursing and health policymakers need to consider the enhancement of transformational leadership and emotional intelligence when implementing policies to improve nurses' workplace social capital, nursing retention and job satisfaction.

Factors predicting quality of nursing care among nurses in tertiary care hospitals in Mongolia.

BACKGROUND: An increasing nursing shortage, high workloads and poor working environments are affecting the quality of nursing care in many countries including Mongolia. AIM: To explore the level of quality of nursing care, nursing competency and nursing practice environment, as well as the predictability of nurses' personal factors, nursing competency and nursing practice environment on quality of nursing care as perceived by nurses in Mongolia. METHODS: We collected data from 346 registered nurses, randomly selected and working in seven general public tertiary care hospitals in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, and four regions of Mongolia. Instruments used were the Good Nursing Care Scale, the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses and the Practice Environment Scale of Nursing Work Index. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall quality of nursing care and nursing competency was perceived to be at a high level, whereas nursing practice environment was at a favourable level. Nursing competency and nursing practice environment were found as significant predictors of nursing care quality, while personal factors were found as non-significant predictors. DISCUSSION: Improving nursing competency and practice environment enhances the quality of nursing care. However, a study limitation is that self-reporting may not have reflected the accuracy of variables. CONCLUSION: Findings provide important evidence for the use of measures and strategies to enhance the quality of nursing care by improving nursing competency and the nursing practice environment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Policymakers, administrators and nurses need to work together to develop and implement policies to enhance and support the competency and practice environments of the Mongolian nurses.

Factors predicting quality of work life among nurses in tertiary-level hospitals, Bangladesh.

AIM: This study examined the level of quality of work life and predictability of years of education, monthly income, years of experience, job stress, organizational commitment and work environment on quality of work life among nurses in tertiary-level hospitals in the People's Republic of Bangladesh. BACKGROUND: There is an acute shortage of nurses worldwide including Bangladesh. Quality of work life is important for quality of patient care and nurse retention. Nurses in Bangladesh are fighting to provide quality care for emerging health problems for the achievement of sustainable development goals. METHODS: We collected data from 288 randomly selected registered nurses, from six tertiary-level hospitals. All nurses were requested to fill questionnaire consisted of Demographic Data Sheet, Quality of Nursing Work Life Survey, Expanded Nursing Stress Scale, Questionnaire of Organizational Commitment and Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics and multiple regression. RESULTS: The quality of work life as perceived by nurses in Bangladesh was at moderate level. Monthly income was found as the best predictor followed by work environment, organizational commitment and job stress. DISCUSSION: A higher monthly income helps nurses to fulfil their personal needs; positive work environment helps to provide quality care to the patients. LIMITATION: Quality of work life and predictors measured by self-report only may not reflect the original picture of the quality of work life among nurses. CONCLUSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Findings provide information for nursing and health policymakers to develop policies to improve quality of work life among nurses that can contribute to quality of nursing care. This includes the working environment, commitment to the organization and measures to reduce job stress.

Nurses' extended work hours: Patient, nurse and organizational outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Nursing shortages have been associated with increased nurse workloads that may result in work errors, thus impacting patient, nurse and organizational outcomes. AIM: To examine for the first time in Thailand nurses' extended work hours (working more than 40 h per week) and its relationship to patient, nurse and organizational outcomes. METHODS: Using multistage sampling, 1524 registered nurses working in 90 hospitals across Thailand completed demographic forms: the Nurses' Extended Work Hours Form; the Patient, Nurse, Organizational Outcomes Form; the Organizational Productivity Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank correlation and logistic regression. RESULTS: The average extended work hour of respondents was 18.82 h per week. About 80% worked two consecutive shifts. The extended work hours had a positive correlation with patient outcomes, such as patient identification errors, pressure ulcers, communication errors and patient complaints and with nurse outcomes of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between extended work hours and job satisfaction as a whole, intent to stay and organizational productivity. Nurses who had extended work hours of >16 h per week were significantly more likely to perceive all four adverse patient outcomes than participants working an extended ≤8 h per week. LIMITATIONS: Patient outcomes were measured by respondents' self-reports. This may not always reflect the real occurrence of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between extended work hours and outcomes for patients, nurses and the organization were found. The findings demonstrate that working two shifts (16 h) more than the regular work hours lead to negative outcomes for patients, nurses and the organization. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Our findings add to increasing international evidence that nurses' poor working conditions result in negative outcomes for professionals, patients and health systems. Policymakers need to be aware of the issues regarding nurses' extended work hours, which has been found to contribute to burnout. Urgently, nurse and health administrators need to develop and implement appropriate nursing overtime policies and strategies to help reduce this phenomenon, including measures to overcome the nursing shortage.