Use of the Worklife and Levels of Burnout Surveys to Assess the School Nurse Work Environment

Previous research regarding burnout in acute care settings revealed that positive work environments increase job satisfaction, decrease staff turnover, and improve patient outcomes. However, few studies address burnout among school nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between the school nurse practice environment, school nurses’ levels of burnout, and perceived sources of work stress. A cross-sectional sample of 100 registered nurses completed a web-based version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Areas of Worklife Survey. Identified stressors were entered into regression models to determine associations with levels of burnout. Burnout is significantly associated with all Areas of Worklife subscales. School nurses who reported satisfactory work environments experienced little to no burnout. This study provides insights into the domains of work that can cause burnout among school nurses and provides evidence that can inform school leadership and policy makers on ways to promote healthy work environments.

The link between nurse workplace environment and patient satisfaction with nursing care services

Patient satisfaction has become an integral part of the process of measuring the quality of the provided care. Patients’ satisfaction about healthcare services increases in institutions that provide healthy workplace environment for nurses.This quantitative study aims to measure the impact of nurse practice environment on patients’ satisfaction with the provided nursing care services. A cross-sectional design was conducted to survey 75 male and female nurses and 107 inpatients who were hospitalized at least one day and aged 17 years and older. Sample was selected from medical and surgical wards of two main teaching hospitals in AL-Najaf province, Iraq.The results show that 80% of the nurses work in poor practice environment. About 52% of the patients were partially satisfied with nursing care; whereas, about 47% of the patients were unsatisfied. A significant correlation was found between nurse practice environment and patients’ satisfaction p < .05; regression analysis shows that patients’ satisfaction can be predicted based on nurse-patient ratio. Conclusion: Enhancing the practice environment of nurses helps improving the quality of healthcare and achieving better level of patients’ satisfaction with nursing care services. Keywords: Nurses workplace; patient satisfaction; practice environment; nursing care;