Relationship between Nursing Practice Environment and Psychological Empowerment for Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Abstract The nursing practice environment is essential for improving the quality of nursing practice and patient service. This study investigated whether a better, healthier work environment could enhance nurses’ psychological empowerment using data from the work environment for hospital nurses in Japan (WENS-J) study. A total of 7,849 staff nurses from 23 participating general hospitals with over 200 beds in municipalities with a population of 200,000 or more were sent a self-administered questionnaire in 2014. The questionnaire recorded participating nurses’ demographic characteristics and utilized two scales: the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) and the Psychological Empowerment Instrument (PEI), which identified adequate work environments and measured the internalization of organizational goals and objectives, respectively. The valid response rate was 31.1% (n = 2,438), the mean age was 33.7 years, and 93.7% of nurses were female. The total PEI score was significantly correlated to the PES-NWI composite score and all subscales after adjusting for nurses’ demographic characteristics, such as age (β coefficient 0.22–0.33, all p < .001). Nurses who perceive their work environment as positive may be more psychologically empowered. These findings could provide insight into creating healthier work environments; previous studies have shown that psychological empowerment is related to reduced burnout and low turnover among nurses.