Individual and organizational factors of nurses' job satisfaction in long-term care: A systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundIn long-term care facilities, nurses’ job satisfaction predicts staff turnover, which adversely affects resident outcomes. Thus, it is important to develop a comprehensive understanding of factors affecting nurses’ job satisfaction in long-term care facilities. ObjectivesTo analyze factors associated with job satisfaction among nurses in nursing homes from individual and organizational perspectives utilizing a deductive approach. DesignSystematic literature review SettingNursing homes. ParticipantsRegistered nurses and licensed practical nurses in nursing homes. MethodsA systematic literature review of seven online databases (EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to July 23, 2020 was conducted. Studies were included if they examined factors associated job satisfaction in the target population and setting. Decision rules on how to determine factors important to nurse job satisfaction were developed a priori. Two team members independently screened the publications for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed included publications for methodological quality; conflicts were resolved through a consensus process and consultation of the third senior team member when needed. ResultsTwenty-eight studies were included. Of these, 20 studies were quantitative, 6 were qualitative, and 2 were mixed methods. Factors associated with job satisfaction were grouped into two categories: individual and organizational. Individual factors significantly associated with job satisfaction were age, health status, self-determination/autonomy, psychological empowerment, job involvement, work exhaustion, and work stress. Individual factors identified as not important or equivocal were gender and experience as a nurse/in aged care. No organizational factors were identified as important for nurses’ job satisfaction. Facility ownership, supervisor/manager support, resources, staffing level, and social relationships were identified as equivocal or not important. Findings from qualitative studies identified relationship with residents as an important factor for job satisfaction. Conclusions/ImplicationsFactors identified as important to nurses’ job satisfaction differ from those reported among care aides in nursing homes and nurses employed in acute care settings, suggesting that there is a need for unique approaches to enhance nurses’ job satisfaction in nursing homes.