Effects of Nursing Practice Environment and Self-esteem on Critical Thinking Disposition among Clinical Nurses / 간호행정학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was a cross-sectional study done to determine the relevance and impact factors of nursing practice environment and self-esteem on critical thinking disposition in clinical nurses. METHODS: A survey was conducted from March to May 2015 with self-report questionnaire. Participants were 281 registered nurses working in one tertiary hospital. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 21.0. RESULTS: Factors affecting the nurses' critical thinking disposition included age (F=7.23, p<.001), educational background (F=7.82, p<.001), position (F=14.95, p<.001), clinical career (F=7.66, p<.001). Further, critical thinking disposition had a positive correlation with nursing practice environment (r=.60, p<.001) and self-esteem (r=.41, p<.001). Self-esteem and nursing practice environment accounted for 43% of the variance in critical thinking disposition. CONCLUSION: The study findings show that critical thinking disposition is influenced by nursing foundations for quality of care and the collegial nurse-physician relations of nursing practice environment. Therefore, it's necessary to provide continuing education for clinical nurses to reconstruct the organizational culture of nurses and physician partnerships. In addition, increasing self-esteem through various motivational programs should increase critical thinking disposition.