Effects of a Nurse–Manager Dualistic Intervention (NMDI) Program on Work Engagement and Job Crafting of ICU Burnout Nurses: A Quasi‐Experimental Study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of the nurse–manager dualistic intervention (NMDI) program on work engagement and job crafting of ICU burnout nurses.Background: Work engagement is crucial for nurses’ job performance and quality of clinical care. Personal and work resources are important antecedents of work engagement. However, few intervention studies focused on improving nurses’ personal and work resources to promote work engagement and job crafting of burnout nurses.Methods: This was a quasi‐experimental study. One hundred and two ICU nurses from two tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province were recruited. Forty‐two ICU nurses from one hospital were set as the intervention group and underwent NMDI. Sixty ICU nurses from the other hospital constituted the control group, which received routine occupational health guidance from the hospital. Demographic characteristics, burnout, work engagement, and job crafting were collected at baseline (T0), postintervention (T1), and 3‐month postintervention (T2).Results: Compared to baseline, both work engagement and job crafting scores increased in the intervention group at postintervention (T1). At postintervention (T1), work engagement and job crafting were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (βworkengagement = 3.894, p = 0.016 and βjobcrafting = 6.104, p = 0.010), but the difference between the two groups was not significant at the 3‐month follow‐up (βworkengagement = 3.618, p = 0.066 and βjobcrafting = 3.554, p = 0.15).Conclusion: The NMDI program can significantly improve ICU burnout nurses’ work engagement and job crafting. Nevertheless, the sustainability of these effects over time has been found to be limited, indicating that future research needs to explore and implement strategies to bolster the long‐term efficacy of this intervention.Implications for Nursing Management: Nurse managers are suggested to integrate the NMDI program into routine nursing management. Managers ought to prioritize appreciative and constructive dialog between themselves and nurses in order to support nurses in inquiring personal and work resources and encourage nurses to develop work plans to utilize resources. This will help to increase nurses’ engagement and job crafting.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: ChiCTR2100047974