Association between nurse work environments and outcomes

Editor's Note

Better work environments are associated with lower odds of negative outcomes ranging from job dissatisfaction to patient mortality, finds this meta-analysis from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

This analysis of data from 2,677 hospitals, 141 nursing units, 165,024 nurses, and 1,368,420 patients in 22 countries found consistent significant associations between work environments and four outcome classes.

Better nurse work environments were linked with higher odds of patient satisfaction and lower odds of :

• negative nurse job outcomes
• poor safety and quality ratings
• negative patient outcomes.

The results support the status of the nurse work environment as a foundation for patient and provider well-being that warrants the attention of healthcare administrators, the authors say.