Conditions Of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire Research Articles

Evaluation of psychological distress, burnout and structural empowerment status of healthcare workers during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study

BackgroundIn light of several recent studies, there is evidence that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused various mental health concerns in the general population, as well as among healthcare workers (HCWs). The main aim of this study was to assess the psychological distress, burnout and structural empowerment status of HCWs during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to evaluate its predictors.MethodsThis multi-center, cross-sectional web-based questionnaire survey was conducted on HCWs during the outbreak of COVID-19 from August 2020 to January 2021. HCWs working in hospitals from 48 different countries were invited to participate in an online anonymous survey that investigated sociodemographic data, psychological distress, burnout and structural empowerment (SE) based on Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Conditions for work effectiveness questionnaire (CWEQ_II), respectively. Predictors of the total scores of DASS-21, MBI and CWEQ-II were assessed using unadjusted and adjusted binary logistic regression analysis.ResultsOut of the 1030 HCWs enrolled in this survey, all completed the sociodemographic section (response rate 100%) A total of 730 (70.9%) HCWs completed the DASS-21 questionnaire, 852 (82.6%) completed the MBI questionnaire, and 712 (69.1%) completed the CWEQ-II questionnaire. The results indicate that 360 out of 730 responders (49.3%) reported severe or extremely severe levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, 422 out of 851 responders (49.6%) reported a high level of burnout, while 268 out of 712 responders (37.6%) reported a high level of structural empowerment based on the DASS-21, MBI, and CWEQ-II scales, respectively. In addition, the analysis showed that HCWs working in the COVID-19 areas experienced significantly higher symptoms of severe stress, anxiety, depression and higher levels of burnout compared to those working in other areas. The results also revealed that direct work with COVID-19 patients, lower work experience, and high workload during the outbreak of COVID-19 increase the risks of negative psychological consequences.ConclusionHealth professionals had high levels of burnout and psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 emergency. Monitoring and timely treatment of these conditions is needed.

Structural and psychological empowerment among newly graduated nurses and related factors: A mixed methods study

AbstractAimsTo discuss the levels of structural empowerment (SE) and psychological empowerment (PE) and the factors that influence perceptions of empowerment among newly graduated nurses (NGNs).DesignMixed methods study.MethodsThe quantitative part of the study was conducted with 220 NGNs with <1 year of job experience. The study was conducted between February and May 2023. Focus group discussions were conducted with 30 NGNs. Data were collected by using the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ‐II), the Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES) and a Semi‐Structured Interview Form. Quantitative data were analysed using stepwise regression analysis. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data.ResultsCWEQ‐II and PES were moderate. The regression analysis showed that NGNs' SE scores increased in association with the following factors, including an increase in the total score on the PES, being married/having a partner, working a day shift, having career planning, increased satisfaction with the orientation programmes of the institution and increased satisfaction with the employing institution. As a result of the descriptive analysis of the focus group interviews conducted to determine the empowerment perceptions of NGNs, we identified three contexts along with the associated themes and subthemes. These three contexts were the ‘concept of power’, ‘professional impression’ and ‘empowerment process’.ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that the SE and PE levels of NGNs are moderate, and their empowerment perceptions are influenced by many factors that can be individual, organizational and work environment relevant.ImpactThis study's findings will guide policymakers, educators, researchers and administrators in empowering NGNs essential to the healthcare workforce.Reporting MethodThe paper adheres to the COREQ checklist.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.

The Relationship Between Nurses’ Work Effectiveness and Work Engagement

Background: Nurses significantly contribute to the healthcare system, constituting the highest number of healthcare staff. A positive attitude or mindset at work increases the ability to carry out the organization’s duties, tasks, and plans. This study investigates the relationship between work effectiveness and work engagement of nurses in the selected hospitals affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran City, Iran, in 2021. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study has employed a correlational design. A total of 255 nurses working in selected hospitals affiliated with IUMS were recruited through proportionate stratified sampling. The study data were collected using the utrecht work engagement scale (UWES) and conditions for work effectiveness questionnaire II (CWEQ-II). Statistical analyses involved descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, analysis of variance, the Pearson correlation, and regression in SPSS software, version 22. The significance level was set at P<0.05. Results: The Mean±SD work effectiveness among nurses was found to be 37.31±7.41, indicating their medium-to-high work effectiveness. Also, their Mean±SD work engagement was 68.96±15.48, indicating the high work engagement of nurses. There was also a significant positive relationship (r=0.656, P<0.001) between the total work effectiveness score and work engagement. The results showed that the “support” dimension of work effectiveness exhibited the highest correlation with work engagement (r=0.606, P<0.001). Also, the “absorption by work” dimension of work engagement had the highest correlation with work effectiveness (r=0.653, P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the study results, increasing the work effectiveness of nurses necessitates the creation of a positive attitude and perspective through managerial actions.

Relationship between workplace structural empowerment and spirit of nurses at work in selected hospitals in Cairo

Background Structural empowerment is the presence of social structures in the workplace that enable employees to accomplish their work in meaningful ways. Aim The study aimed to determine the relationship between workplace structural empowerment and spirit of nurses at work in selected hospitals in Cairo. Design A descriptive correlational design was used. Setting The study was conducted at five hospitals representing different health care sectors. Sample A convenient sample of 470 consenting staff nurses was included in the study. Tools Two data collection tools were used: the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II tool and the Spirit at Work Measurement Scale. Results The findings revealed that nurses in the selected hospitals in Cairo had moderate access to workplace empowerment structures and a high level of spirit at work. Conclusion The result indicated a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between workplace empowerment and nurse’s spirit at work. Recommendations Spirit at work in health care settings is still in its embryonic stage and requires much empirical and theoretical research.

Workplace empowerment and organisational commitment: a correlational study in a Saudi Arabian hospital

Background/Aims Structural empowerment of employees can increase job satisfaction and performance. This study explored the relationships between workforce empowerment and measurable levels of organisational commitment among employees in a private, tertiary-level hospital in Saudi Arabia. Methods A correlational cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered anonymous survey, which incorporated the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, the Three-Component Model Employee Commitment Survey and a sociodemographic survey created by the authors. The questionnaire was distributed through the hospital's website with the aim of reaching every medical and non-medical employee (n=1900). A total of 739 staff members completed the questionnaire. Analysis was performed to identify relationships between empowerment, commitment and sociodemographic characteristics. Results There was a significant positive correlation between empowerment and organisational commitment. Age and years of experience in the profession, hospital and country were positively correlated with both empowerment and commitment. Those who were Saudi Arabian citizens and/or of Arab ethnicity had lower levels of workforce empowerment than those of other ethnicities and nationalities. Conclusions Workplace empowerment can directly influence organisational commitment among medical and non-medical healthcare staff, which has implications for staff retention and satisfaction. Employers should target interventions at staff groups with lower levels of empowerment, such as younger and less experienced professionals.

Nurses' job burnout and its association with work environment, empowerment and psychological stress during COVID-19 pandemic.

AimThe aim of this study was to assess the influence of perceived work environment, empowerment and psychological stress on job burnout among nurses working at the time of the COVID‐19 pandemic.BackgroundNurses experienced high levels of job burnout during the pandemic, which impacted their mental health and well‐being. Studies investigating the influence of work environment, empowerment and stress on burnout during the time of COVID‐19 are limited.DesignThe study utilized a cross‐sectional design.MethodsData were collected from 351 nurses in Oman between January and March 2021. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index, the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale were used to assess study variables.ResultsAbout two‐thirds of the nurses (65.6%) reported high levels of job burnout. Nurse managers' ability, leadership and support; staffing and resources adequacy; and nurses' access to support were significant factors associated with a reduced level of burnout.ConclusionSupporting nurses during the crisis, ensuring adequate staffing levels and providing sufficient resources are critical to lower job burnout. Creating a positive and empowered work environment is vital to enhance nurses' retention during the pandemic.

Structural and psychological empowerment of students obtaining continuing leadership education in Finland–a national survey

BackgroundIn nursing, empowerment may be deemed one's potential to gain power, achieve goals and promote one's skills to advance positive changes in the working environment, or decentralization of authority. Empowerment is associated with nurses' and nurse leaders' satisfaction, performance and organizational commitment, as well as burnout, emotional exhaustion and intentions to leave the profession. Research on nurse empowerment in relation to continuing education is sparse. ObjectivesThis study describes the structural and psychological empowerment levels of students beginning a collaboratively implemented continuing leadership education program. DesignCross-sectional electronic survey. SettingsNational, continuing nursing leadership education program (37 ECT) organized by five universities that provide masters level education to nurse leaders in Finland. ParticipantsStudents (N = 85) working at nine healthcare organizations across the service system as current or prospective nurse leaders and enrolled in the continuing leadership education program. MethodsThe Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire and the Work Empowerment Questionnaire were each used to measure structural and psychological empowerment, respectively. The data were collected between October 2019 and February 2020. ResultsA total of 69 students participated (response rate 81 %). Moderate levels of both structural and psychological empowerment were observed. In structural empowerment, the strongest dimension was access to opportunity (4.1, SD 0.7), whereas access to support was the weakest (2.7, SD 0.7). The strongest psychological empowerment dimension was verbal empowerment (8.5, SD 1.9) and the weakest was outcome empowerment (7.0, SD 1.6). ConclusionsNurses and nurse leaders seem to lack the status and power required to impact their organizations, possibly causing them to apply for nursing leadership education. Nurse leaders should be given opportunities for continuing leadership education to improve empowerment and, as a result, staff outcomes.

Effects of Leader Empowerment: Implementing a Frontline Nurse Leadership Council

Nursing governance councils lead to improved nurse empowerment; however, it is unknown whether using a similar structure for nurse leaders results in similar outcomes. We implemented a frontline nurse leader council to evaluate the impact on the nurse leader’s empowerment and confidence. Members were surveyed before and after the initiation of the council on empowerment and leader efficacy. No statistically significant improvements were noted. However, scores improved on the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire – II Global Empowerment and the Leader Efficacy Questionnaire Leader Means Efficacy. There were no statistically significant improvements pre- and post-survey; however, participants expressed optimism for culture improvement.

Studying the relationships between authentic leadership, structural empowerment, and civility in the palliative care sector in Portugal

PurposeThis paper aims to propose a model studying the relationship of authentic leadership (AL), structural empowerment (SE) and civility in the palliative care sector. This model proposes SE as a mediator between AL and civility.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from 213 employees working in five major public palliative care hospitals in central Portugal. The study sample was predominantly female (80.3%) and the response rate was 42.6%. Variables were measured using the Authentic Leadership Inventory, Workplace Civility Scale and Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II scales. Hayes’ PROCESS macro for mediation analysis in SPSS was used to test the hypothesized model.FindingsResults suggest that AL has a significant positive direct relationship with both SE and civility. Furthermore, SE demonstrated to play a partial mediation effect between AL and civility.Practical implicationsThis study may be of use for healthcare administration encouraging the development of AL, suggesting that the more leaders are seen as authentic, the more employees will perceive they have access to workplace empowerment structures and a civil environment.Originality/valueConsidering the mainstream literature in healthcare management, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to date to integrate the relation of AL, SE and civility in the palliative care sector. Further, the research model has not previously been introduced when considering the mediating role structural empowerment can play between AL and civility.

Empowerment of front-line leaders in an online learning, certificate programme.

To evaluate the effectiveness of an online learning, certificate programme for front-line nurse leaders' sense of empowerment. Front-line leaders play a crucial role in health care. Current training is often inadequate. The Institute of Medicine report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2010) recommends nurses at all levels receive training for their role. A pre- to post-study design was used; instruments included Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, Psychological Empowerment Scale, intent to stay, and self-reported knowledge and effectiveness of intervention questions. This study evaluated the effects of online learning for 29 acute care front-line leaders in the USA and Australia. Structural empowerment significantly improved, pre-assessment (M=18.50, SD=1.6940) to post-assessment (M=19.47, SD=1.6940). There was no significant difference in intent to stay or overall psychological empowerment. Participants agreed (24/29, 83%) the intervention contributed to their 'sense of empowerment in their role' and 'ability to create an empowering work environment'. Online learning was effective and could be integrated into orientation and/or continuing education plans to develop empowering work environments. Online learning may be a means of educating and empowering front-line leaders for their role.

Authentic Leadership and Its Relation to Structural Empowerment and Work Environment Among Nurses

Background: Nursing work environments often expose nurses to toxic behaviors. Today’s nurse leaders face many challenges and concerns in order to empower their staff through creating professional practice environment that require a new type of leadership in which authentic leadership is considered a positive relational-leadership approach, a. Aim: To examine nurses’ perspective of authentic leadership and its relation to structural empowerment and work environment in critical care units at Shebin El-Kom teaching hospital. Subjects and Methods: Non-experimental descriptive correlational research design was employed in the conduction of this study. A simple random sample (244) of nurses having minimum one year of experience composed the study sample. Three standardized questionnaires were utilized which are Authentic Leadership Inventory, Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire and Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Results: The current study declared that the majority (98.4%) of nurses considered their leaders to be practicing moderate to high authentic leadership. Moreover, (95.1%) of nurses experienced moderate to high levels of structural empowerment. Likewise, about three quarters (75.4%) of nurses perceived high level of work environment. Conclusion and Recommendations: There was a significant positive relation among authentic leadership, structural empowerment and work environment from nurses' perspective. This study can help policy makers, administrators, and nursing leaders to detect areas in need of improvement in nurses’ work environment and handle it, which leads to improvement in quality of nursing care and consequently patient outcomes.

EMPOWERMENT OF NURSES FROM A HOSPITAL IN THE SOUTH OF CHILE

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the level of empowerment among the nurses from a hospital located in the south of Chile and verify its potential association with personal and professional characterization variables. Method: cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted with 117 nurses from a hospital in the south of Chile. Data were collected in 2018 using a personal and professional characterization form and the Spanish version of the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: the means of the factors of the empowerment scale were: Opportunity (4.11±0.82); Information (3.81±0.90); Support (3.81±0.86), and Resources (3.13±0.97). Statistically significant differences were found between empowerment and having greater professional experience, working in the medical-surgical unit, having from 3 to 10 patients under responsibility, job satisfaction, and intention to quit their jobs. Conclusion: the nurses reported a positive perception of empowerment in their roles, especially concerning having opportunities to perform tasks that contribute to acquiring new knowledge and skills at work.

The Relationships between Employee Occupational Self-efficacy, Structural Empowerment, and Work Engagement

Nowadays the competitive advantage of any organization mainly relies not only on technologies or material resources but also on competitive, energetic, engaged employees, who are willing to share their knowledge, skills, and experience. Organizations must not only recruit talents but also inspire them and create the conditions in which they reveal themselves and have the prospect for professional growth. According to Bandura (1982), the personal belief of how well one can execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations may become crucial for work success. The present study integrates Bandura’s (1982; 1989) Social Cognitive, Kanter’s (1977; 1979) Structural Empowerment, and Schaufeli and Bakker’s(2004) Work Engagement theories and is aimed (1) to analyze the relationships between employee occupational self-efficacy, structural empowerment, and work engagement and (2) to determine the role of occupational self-efficacy in the relationships between the elements of structural empowerment and work engagement.
 A total of 1636 specialist level employees from one Lithuanian public sector organization were surveyed online. Ninety four percent of the respondents were female, six percent were male. The average age of the respondents was 45.71 (SD = 10.34) years, with the average of 8.29 (SD = 7.23) years of working experience. All respondents had higher education. Occupational self-efficacy was measured using the Schyns & von Collani (2002) OCCSEEF scale (short version), structural empowerment elements (access to opportunity, information, support, and resources, informal power and formal power) were measured using the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire – II (CWEQ – II) (Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian, & Wilk, 2001), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) (Schaufeli, Bakker, & Salanova, 2006) was used to measure work engagement. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to determine the mediating role of occupational self-efficacy in the relationships between elements of structural empowerment and work engagement.
 The analysis revealed that all dimensions of structural empowerment positively predicted occupational self-efficacy, and that occupational self-efficacy positively predicted work engagement. Formal power directly positively predicted work engagement, occupational self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between informal power and work engagement and partially mediated the relationships between certain predictors (access to opportinity, information, and resources) and work engagement.
 Despite some limitations (e.g., this being a cross-sectional study, and that specialist level employees were surveyed from one organization), the results of the study highlighted, first, that employee occupational self-efficacy and work engagement might be strengthened by empowering organizational structures, and, second, that occupational self-efficacy is an important personal characteristic explaining the relationships between empowering organizational structures and employee work engagement. Perspectives for future research and practical implications are discussed.

The status quo and correlation of professional identity and structural authorization of clinical nurse specialists in Class III Grade A hospitals in Beijing

Objective To investigate the status of identity and structural of clinical nurse specialists in ClassⅢ Grade A hospitals in Beijing, and to explore the correlation between them. Methods By convenience sampling, 260 in-service clinical specialist nurses from 5 ClassⅢ Grade A hospitals in Beijing were investigated in terms of their identity and structural level as well as the correlations by Professional Identity Scale (PIS) and the Chinese Version of Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ-Ⅱ-CV) on May 2018. Results The 260 clinical nurse specialists achieved a total score of (111.36±20.15) points for PIS, at a medium level; among the five dimensions of PIS, the item of professional self-reflection had the highest average score: (3.83±0.71) points; while the item of professional cognitive evaluation had the lowest average score: (3.61±0.77) points. In the six dimensions of CWEQ-Ⅱ-CV, the item of support authorization had the highest average score of (3.52±0.89) points while the item of official authorization had the lowest average score of (3.14±1.03) points. The total score of PIS was positively correlated with the total score of CWEQ-Ⅱ-CV significantly (r=0.761, P<0.01) . Conclusions The overall identity and structural of the clinical nurse specialists in the five participated Class Ⅲ Grade A hospitals in Beijing are at a medium level. There is a significant positive correlation between identity and structural authorization, in other words, the higher level the structural is, the higher level the identity is. Key words: Nurses; Clinical nurse specialist; Professional identity; Structural

Initials Impact of Nursing Manager Perception of Empowerment and Years of Experience on Resistance to Change in Practice

Introduction: Nurse Managers play a vital role to maintain an organization. They are responsible for nursing employment, ward management and other routine managerial activities. The nation is divided between knowledge and ignorance. Human resources management plays a significant role in any organization. The main challenge in human resources management is capable and knowledgeable employee. Today it is a world of competition and day by day new policies are made and implemented in any business. Changes are inevitable in any organization. During the process of change every organization has to face resistance by the employees.Objective: The objective of study to check Impact of Nursing Manager Perception of Empowerment and Years of Experience on Resistance to Change in PracticeMaterial and methods: a descriptive correlational study was conducted to the impact of nursing manager perception of empowerment and years of experience on resistance to change in practice. The target population 150 and the study was conducted on head nurses of different hospitals. Participants were asked to fill demographic and conditions for work effectiveness questionnaire (CWEQ-II) and resistance to change scale. Conclusion: according to this study the perception of empowerment in nursing managers has significant relationship with resistance to change. As the perception of empowerment increases the degree of resistance decreases. In current health system, it is necessary to develop perception empowerment that has proven to effective to decrease resistance to change in practice among nurses. Keywords: Nursing Manager, Empowerment, and Experience and Resistance to Change DOI : 10.7176/JHMN/62-11 Publication date :May 31 st 2019

Nursing Personnel' Perception Toward Shared Governance and Its Relation to their Job Empowerment

Shared governance has been proposed as essential to improve quality patient care, contain costs, retain and empower nursing staff. The purpose of the study is to assess the perception of nursing personnel toward shared governance and its relation to their job empowerment. A descriptive correlational design was utilized to meet the aim of this study. The subjects: convenience sample included 220 staff nurses and 60 head nurses at Benha University Hospital. The instruments of data collection were professional nursing shared governance questionnaire and the conditions for work effectiveness questionnaire. Results showed that head nurses perception level were higher versus staff nurses in relation to total shared governance perception . Head nurses perception were higher (33.3% versus 16.4%) than staff nurses in the study setting related to total job empowerment. Statistically, staff nurses had a low level of perception (20.0%versus none) regarding shared governance and job empowerment in the study setting. There was a highly statistical correlation between shared governance and job empowerment among nursing personnel in the study setting. Conclusions: It was concluded that head nurses perception toward both shared governance and job empowerment was higher than staff nurses in the study setting. Recommendation: updated universal protocols and guidelines about shared governance model must be used in the study setting. In- service training and educational programs must be a continuous process for increasing cognitive abilities of nursing personnel underlying decision making.

Adaptation of the Conditions For Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II amongst Polish nurses and midwives

The article presents the Polish adaptation of the <i>Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II</i> (CWEQ II), developed by Laschinger et al. The <i>Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II</i> measures structural empowerment and is widely used in the research conducted among nurses and midwives. Structural empowerment is the ability to mobilize all available opportunities, information, resources and support in an organization. It refers to creating conditions which allow for individual development and provide access to decision-making processes. The aim of the study was to test psychometric properties of the Polish version of the CWEQ II and to verify the factor structure of structural empowerment in the Polish sample. The participants were 279 nurses and midwives employed in hospitals and clinics. Items were translated from the original English version using the back-translation method. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the best fit of the 6-factor model. The scales exhibit high internal consistency and satisfactory validity. In effect of the study, the Polish adaptation of the tool has been obtained, which shows satisfactory psychometric properties, suitable for evaluation of the level of empowerment in the case of nurses and midwives. Med Pr 2018;69(5):547-560.

The effect of nurses’ empowerment perceptions on job safety behaviours: a research study in Turkey

Objective. This study aimed to investigate the effect of nurses’ empowerment perceptions on job safety behaviours. Methods. A survey of 377 nurses working in five hospitals in Turkey was conducted using the conditions of work effectiveness questionnaire, psychological empowerment instrument, universal precautions compliance scale and occupational health and safety obligations compliance scale. Relations between variables were tested using Pearson's correlation and path analysis. Results. There was a moderate and statistically significant relationship between psychological and structural empowerment and complying with universal safety measures and meeting occupational health and safety obligations. Also, an increase of 1 unit on the level of psychological empowerment was found to correspond to an increase of 0.37 units on the level of universal precautions compliance and to an increase of 0.46 units on the level of occupational health and safety obligations compliance. As such, an increase of 1 unit in structural empowerment corresponds to an increase of 0.53 units on the level of universal precautions compliance and to an increase of 0.36 units (total effect) on the level of occupational health and safety obligations compliance. Conclusions. The findings reveal that empowerment is a valuable tool for nurses’ positive job safety behaviours.

Effect of Using a Developed Guideline for Staff Nurses Participation in Decision Making and Empowerment on their Organizational Commitment

Background: Employee participation in decision- making now considered a key element in the successful implementation of new management strategies and plays an important role in determining the degree of empowerment and job commitment of the employee as well as their motivation. Aim: the Study aimed to identify the effect of using a Developed Guidelines of staff nurses participation in decision-making and empowerment on their organizational Commitment. Research design: a quesi- experimental research design was used in this study. Setting: This study was carried out at Minia University Hospitals, and Minia general hospital. Sample: 100 staff nurses, working in critical areas, tools: data was collected by using three tools namely I. Decisional involvement scale (DIS) (II), Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire- (CWEQ), and III. Organizational commitment questionnaire (OCQ). Results: high level of shared decisions, empowerment and low organizational commitment, highly statistical significant positive association between decision-making, empowerment and organizational commitment. Moreover a Highly statistical significant positive association between empowerment and age, experience and between age and commitment, negative statistical significant in dependent predictors of staff nurses scores of the empowerment and University hospital score. Ministry of health hospital( general hospital) has high level of empowerment and commitment while the decision is made by administration only in contrast university hospitals has lower level of empowerment and commitment with administration only decision. Conclusion: high level of shared decisions, lower empowerment and organizational commitment, negative effect using a Developed Guideline of participation in decision-making and empowerment on organizational commitment, Recommendation: Create a unit level DM structures such as shared governance model, unit committees as a strategy for promoting decisional involvement and structural empowerment; create a motivating work environment, keeping open lines of communication.

WORKPLACE EMPOWERMENT AND JOB SATISFACTION IN PORTUGUESE NURSING STAFF: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Aim: The aim was to examine to what extent structural empowerment (access to opportunities, support, information, and resources), and global empowerment predict job satisfaction in a sample of nursing staff from the south of Portugal. Design: A cross-sectional correlational study was made. Methods: Of 205 professional nursing surveyed, a final sample of 151 participants was selected from two public hospitals. To measure structural and global empowerment and work satisfaction, Portuguese versions of the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ-II) and Job Satisfaction Scale were used. We used STATA software and an alpha level of 0.05 for all statistical levels to analyse the common variance method (CMV), correlations, and hierarchical multiple regressions. Results: All dimensions of structural empowerment (access to opportunities, information, resources, and support) and global empowerment were positively and significantly (level of significance 95%) related to job satisfaction. Regression models showed that job satisfaction was significantly predicted by access to opportunities and global empowerment. Conclusion: Working conditions characterized by empowerment and opportunities for growth and development are important determinants of job satisfaction among nurses. Managers should make an effort to provide opportunities to learn and put into practice new knowledge and skills in the workplace, increasing empowerment levels and job satisfaction in nursing staff.