BACKGROUND:
The mechanism of how
work environments affect nurse outcomes and
quality of care has not been studied in
intensive care unit (ICU) settings.
PURPOSE:
The purpose was to investigate the effects of
work environment on
nurse outcomes and
quality of care in ICUs, through the
mediating effects of
nursing care left undone.
METHODS:
This study used
survey data from 459
nurses from 22 ICUs in 22
hospitals in
China. Hierarchical
logistic regression modeling was used to analyze the relationships and the
mediating effects.
RESULTS:
Positive
work environments were associated with lower
nurse job dissatisfaction, less
burnout, higher
quality of care, and safer care. Adding
nursing care left undone could reduce the effects of
work environments, showing partial
mediating effects of
nursing care left undone.
CONCLUSIONS:
Cultivating supportive
work environments serves as a strategy to reduce
nursing care left undone, and to improve
nurse outcomes and
quality of care in ICUs.