Revista de Práticas Avançadas em Enfermagem

Nurses Practice Environment and Quality of Patient Care in Port Said Hospitals

Abstract

Mahran SMA

Background: Nurse practice environment has been identified as an important factor in improving the quality and safety of hospital care. However, there are few studies that assess the characteristics of the hospital work environment and its impact on patient outcomes.

The aim of the study: To evaluate the characteristics of the nurse’s practice environment regarding the quality of patient care as perceived by staff nurses.

Subject and methods: Research design, quantitative design, non-experimental descriptive was utilized.

Setting: This research was carried out in four governmental hospitals in Port Said city. Subjects included (300) of staff nurses who are working at previous hospitals to participate in research study dealing with characteristics of nurse’s practice environment regarding the quality of patient care. The tool of data collection: the one tool was used to collect data which aimed to measures eight characteristics of the work environment and quality of patient care.

Results: It revealed that the highest level of agreement score (75.7%) for characteristics of the nursing practice environment scale on the unit level was for supportive nurse manager relationships, followed by working with other nurses who are clinically competent while 17.5% of studied nurses reported agreement regarding support for education in nursing work environment.

Conclusion: There were the means differences between characteristics of practice environment tool and demographic variables as well as quality patient care at units’ levels from nurse’s perceptions. Overall response mean scores for the nurse was a very high quality of patient care as perceived by staff nurses.

Recommendation: Implement continuous training for nurse’s managers about enhancing effective communication by creating an environment which permits to express ideas empower and encourage staff nurses to participate in decision-making and problem-solving process.