Practice Environment and Work Engagement Among Nurses in Selected Ministry Academic Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: A stressful practice environment may harm the physical well-being and psychological health of nurses, which, in turn, may lead to a reduction in nurses' work engagement level. This study aimed to determine the relationship between practice environment and work engagement among nurses in selected Ministry Academic Hospitals in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study utilized a descriptive, comparative, and correlation research design. Ethical clearance was secured accordingly. Three hundred forty-three (N=343) nurses from the selected Ministry Academic Hospitals in Saudi Arabia participated. Data were gathered systematically using a demographic questionnaire, the Practice Environment Scale of the Nurse Work Index (PES-NWI) of Lake (2002), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 (UWES-9). IBM-SPSS Statistics version 27 was used to analyze the data. Frequency counts and percentages were used to characterize the nurses' demographic and work-related profile. The overall PES-NWI "composite" score was computed as the mean of the five subscale scores. Spearman correlation and point-biserial correlation were used to determine the relationships between variables of interest. An alpha level of 0.5 was used to interpret the significance. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant moderate positive relationship between nurse participation in hospital affairs and work engagement (rs=.451, p=.000), a statistically significant weak positive correlation between nursing foundations of quality of care and work engagement (rs=.388, p =.000), nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses, and work engagement, (rs=.378, p =.000), staffing and resource adequacy and work engagement, (rs=.350, p=.000), and collegial nurse-physician relationships and work engagement, (rs=.296, p=.000). CONCLUSION: There is a statistically significant moderate positive relationship between overall perceived nurses’ practice environment and level of work engagement (rs=.454, p=.000). RECOMMENDATIONS: The findings of this study will serve as baseline data to guide hospital and Nurse leaders on where to focus attention in improving the patient care environment. It recommended devising more strategies and activities to improve the practice environment to promote work engagement among nurses.