RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Previous studies evaluating work engagement of nurses revealed work-related factors and nurse demographics affecting work engagement. Low work engagement yields a decrease in productivity, high turnover, loss of revenue, and, most importantly, patient safety concerns. AIM: To investigate the relationship between nurse-related and work-related variables associated with work engagement and provide a model that explains work engagement. METHOD: This study employed an observational, cross-sectional study design, with 201 registered nurses working in acute care hospitals in the United States participating in the study. Four work-related and five nurse-related variables were evaluated and used in the work engagement model. A standard multiple regression was performed using the work- and nurse-related factors regressed onto work engagement. Structural equation model procedures were performed to examine the association between predictive variables and work engagement. RESULTS: Of the 201 participants, just over a third of the participants were over 50 years of age (33.5%), female (91.6%), married (68%), had a bachelor of science in nursing (58.1%), and have been a nurse <5 years (42.4%). Five of the variables were found to make a unique statistically significant contribution to the variance in work engagement, age (ß = .31, p = .001), workload (ß = .30, p < .001), Core Self-Evaluation Scale (ß = 0 .22, p = .002), Coping with Change Scale (ß = .20, p = .001), and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)-General Scale score (ß = -.17, p = .03). The work engagement model indicated a satisfactory overall model fit of the model (GFI = .996; χ2 (2, N = 201) = 4.02, p = .135; RMSEA = .07; CFI = .983; NFI = .976). LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: The results of this study confirm a work engagement model that incorporates both nurse- and work-related factors. Overall, the results indicate that the level of work engagement is predicted more by nurse-related factors than by work-related factors.