What Influences Work Engagement Among Registered Nurses: Implications for Evidence-Based Action.

Abstract

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. To investigate the relationship between nurse-related and work-related variables associated with work engagement and provide a model that explains work engagement. 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. Of the 201 participants, just over a third of the participants were over 50years of age (33.5%), female (91.6%), married (68%), had a bachelor of science in nursing (58.1%), and have been a nurse <5years (42.4%). Five of the variables were found to make a unique statistically significant contribution to the variance in work engagement, age (β=.31, p=.001), workload (β=.30, p<.001), Core Self-Evaluation Scale (β=0 .22, p=.002), Coping with Change Scale (β=.20, p=.001), and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)-General Scale score (β=-.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). 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.