The Relationship between the Work Environment and Person-centered Critical Care Nursing for Intensive Care Nurses

Abstract

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the perceived nursing work environment (NWE) on person-centered critical care nursing (PCCN) practices among nurses in intensive care units (ICUs). Methods : A cross-sectional research design was adopted for this study; participants were 126 ICU nurses working in five hospitals in B city. From December 2018 to February 2019, a survey questionnaire on NWE and PCCN were conducted. The collected data were analyzed with a multiple hierarchical regression analysis. Results : The mean score for NWE was 2.98±0.39. Among the factors, basic work system was the highest (3.39±0.41), followed by leadership of the head nurse (3.31±0.55), interpersonal relationships (2.77±0.62), and institutional support (2.58±0.52). The mean score for PCCN was 3.52±0.46. Among the factors, comfort was the highest (3.77±0.62), followed by respect (3.55±0.56), compassion (3.43±0.60), and individuality (3.38±0.56). The interpersonal relationship (β =.31, p=.001) and the number of patients per shift (β =-.23, p =.005) had a significant effect on PCCN, accounting for 25.9% of the total variance. Conclusion : These results suggest that it is necessary to enhance the relationship-oriented culture and reduce the workload of nurses in order to improve the quality of nursing care in ICUs.