Organizational commitment, psychometric qualities and invariance of the Meyer and Allen Questionnaire for Portuguese Nurses / Commitment organizacional, qualidades psicométricas e invariância do questionário de Meyer e Allen em enfermeiros portugueses / Compromiso organizacional, cualidades psicométricas e invarianza del cuestionario de Meyer y Allen para enfermeros portugueses

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the psychometric qualities of the Portuguese version of the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire for the nursing context, through confirmatory analysis and invariance, aiming to evaluate the reliability, internal consistency, construct validity and external validity of the instrument. Method: confirmatory factor analysis of the Portuguese version of the questionnaire was carried out with a sample of 850 nurses, in hospital context. The analysis was complemented using specification search. Goodness of fit was evaluated through different indices. Reliability, internal consistency and construct validity were estimated. The invariance of the model was evaluated in two subsamples of the same sample, in order to confirm the external validity of the factorial solution. Results: the refined model demonstrated good overall fit (χ2/df=6.37; CFI=0.91; GFI=0.92; RMSEA=0.08; MECVI=0.62). The factorial structure was stable (λ:Δχ2(14)=18.31; p=0;193; Intercepts: Δχ2(14)=22.29; p=0.073; Covariance: Δχ2(3)=6.01; p=0.111; Residuals: Δχ2(15)=22.44; p=0.097). Conclusion: the simplified model of the questionnaire demonstrated adequate goodness of fit, representing a stable factorial solution. The instrument was fit to monitor and evaluate the organizational commitment of Portuguese nurses.

RESUMO Objetivo: avaliar as qualidades psicométricas da versão portuguesa do Questionário de Comprometimento Organizacional, para o contexto da enfermagem, através de análise confirmatória e de invariância, visando a confiabilidade, consistência interna, validade de construto e a validade externa do instrumento. Método: procedeu-se à análise fatorial confirmatória da versão portuguesa do questionário, numa amostra de 850 enfermeiros, em contexto hospitalar. Complementou-se a análise com recurso à pesquisa de especificação. A qualidade de ajustamento foi avaliada através de diferentes índices. Estimou-se a confiabilidade, consistência interna e validade de construto. A invariância do modelo foi avaliada em duas subamostras, da amostra global, por forma a confirmar a validade externa da solução fatorial. Resultados: O modelo obtido após refinamento demonstrou bom ajustamento global (χ2/df=6,37; CFI=0,91; GFI=0,92; RMSEA=0,08; MECVI=0,62). A estrutura fatorial revelou-se estável (λ:Δχ2(14)=18,31; p=0,193; Interceptos: Δχ2(14)=22,29; p=0,073; Covariância: Δχ2(3)=6,01; p=0,111; Resíduos: Δχ2(15)=22,44; p=0,097). Conclusão: o modelo simplificado do questionário revelou boa qualidade de ajustamento, apresentando uma solução fatorial estável. O instrumento revelou-se ajustado para monitorizar e avaliar o comprometimento organizacional dos enfermeiros portugueses.

RESUMEN Objetivo: evaluar las propiedades psicométricas de la versión portuguesa del Cuestionario de Compromiso Organizacional para el contexto de enfermería a través del análisis de confirmación e invarianza, para evaluar la fiabilidad, la consistencia interna, la validez de constructo y la validez externa del instrumento. Método: se procedió a un análisis factorial confirmatorio de la versión en portugués del cuestionario, con una muestra de 850 enfermeros en el ámbito hospitalario y se complementó el análisis con un recurso a la investigación de especificación. La calidad del ajuste se evaluó a través de diferentes índices. Se estimó la confiabilidad, la consistencia interna y la validez de constructo. La invarianza del modelo fue evaluada en dos sub-muestras de la muestra global, para confirmar la validez externa de la solución factorial. Resultados: el modelo obtenido tras el refinamiento demostró un buen ajuste global (χ2/df=6,37; CFI=0,91; GFI=0,92; RMSEA=0,08; MECVI=0,62). La estructura factorial reveló estable (λ:Δχ2(14)=18,31; p=0,193; Interceptos: Δχ2(14)=22,29; p=0,073; Covariancia: Δχ2(3)=6,01; p=0,111, Residuos: Δχ2(15)=22,44; p=0,097). Conclusión: el modelo simplificado del cuestionario demostró una buena calidad de ajuste, presentando una solución factorial estable. El instrumento resultó estar ajustado para monitorear y evaluar el compromiso de la organización de los enfermeros portugueses.

Nurse manager engagement: what it means to nurse managers and staff nurses.

OBJECTIVE: To describe what nurse manager engagement means to nurse managers and staff nurses by incorporating an organizational dashboard to document engagement outcomes. BACKGROUND: Retaining engaged nurse managers is crucial for individual performance and organizational outcomes. However, nurse manager engagement is currently underreported in the literature. METHODS: Existing data from the 2010 Employee Opinion Survey at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, were used to measure staff engagement among 28 nurse managers and 1497 staff nurses. RESULTS: The data showed a 21% gap between manager and staff nurse engagement levels, with managers showing higher engagement levels than staff. No clear depiction of nurse manager engagement emerged. Consequently, an expanded definition of nurse manager engagement was developed alongside a beginning dashboard of engagement outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The findings have implications for overcoming barriers that affect staff nurse engagement, improving outcomes, and creating definitions of nurse manager engagement.

The importance of good data: how The National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses has been used to improve knowledge and policy.

In 1977, the federal government launched the nation's largest and most significant program to collect data on the registered nurse (RN) workforce of the United States-the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN). This survey is conducted by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, first in 1977 and then every 4 years since 1980. This article offers the history of the NSSRN and a review of the ways in which the NSSRN data have been used to examine education, demographics, employment, shortages, and other aspects of the RN workforce. The influence this body of research has had on policymaking is explored. Recommendations for future research are offered, in the hope that future waves of the NSSRN will continue to be used to their fullest potential.

Understanding the supply and distribution of registered nurses: where are the data and what can they tell us?

Health workforce researchers routinely conduct studies to determine whether a profession is currently in short supply and whether future shortages are likely. This is particularly important for registered nursing since the profession has experienced periodic shortages over the past three decades. Registered nurse (RN) forecast studies can be valuable in quantifying supply and demand gaps and identifying the most appropriate strategies to avert future shortages. In order to quantify RN supply/demand gaps, it is important to have accurate data on RNs, including the number of active RNs as well as their demographic, education, and practice characteristics, and work location(s). A lack of relevant and timely data on the nursing workforce is a significant barrier to identifying where nursing shortages exist, where they are most severe, and determining the factors that contribute to them. This lack of understanding impedes the development of effective health workforce programs and policies to mitigate shortages and the ability to evaluate these programs and policies for effectiveness. This study describes the national data sources available to nursing researchers to study the supply and distribution of the RN workforce and assesses the sources' strengths and limitations. This study also explores the potential for using state-level data for nursing workforce research.

An integrative review of nursing workforce studies.

The purpose of this chapter is to present an analysis of selected published nursing workforce studies published between the years of 2005 and 2010. Thirteen nursing workforce studies were reviewed and analyzed using a modification of the method suggested by Ganong (1987). Nursing workforce studies were selected based on the following criteria: (1) the date of publication was between the years of 2005 and 2010; (2) the primary focus was on nurses working in practice; or, as students or faculty in nursing educational programs. When reviewed, the 13 studies (1) lacked uniform measures among databases; (2) lacked longitudinal studies that followed the respondent over time from the beginning of their career to retirement; (3) had response rates that contributed to small sample sizes or sampling frame that did not take into consideration all characteristics of interest; (4) lacked attention to an interdisciplinary mix of providers; and (5) implied the need for future study on intergenerational characteristics due to shifting demographics in the profession and nursing workforce.

Nurse staffing levels and nursing outcomes: a Bayesian analysis of Finnish-registered nurse survey data.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between patient-to-registered nurse (RN) ratios and nursing outcomes: job satisfaction and stress, nursing care quality, control of own practise, intent to leave, adequacy of material resources and attitudes towards technical equipment. BACKGROUND: Although there is a growing body of evidence showing that higher levels of RN staffing are linked to better outcomes, it still is unclear how nurse staffing produces these effects. METHOD: A survey of data of RNs (n = 854) in 46 inpatient units at five university hospitals in Finland was used to create a Bayesian network (BN) model of connections between the variables. RESULTS: A BN model constructed showed that the quality of nursing care is influenced by multifaceted work environment measures. RNs' possibility to control their own practice and the quality of care are mediation between patient-to-RN ratio and other variables examined. CONCLUSIONS: New insight was given to the complex theme of the nursing practice environment and its connections to nursing outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Work environment should be developed with consideration of many factors, including adequate staffing levels and the ability for nurses to control their own work. This could increase nurses' work satisfaction, retention and patient care quality outcomes.

[Risk factors for falls and fall-related injuries in an acute care hospital--a retrospective case control study]. / Risikofaktoren für Stürze und sturzbedingte Verletzungen im Akutspital - Eine retrospektive Fall-Kontroll-Studie.

Falls in patient are a major problem in acute care institutions because of direct and indirect consequences. The objectives of the present retrospective case control study were to explore predictors of falls and fall-related injuries in hospitalised patients in a department of internal medicine at a Swiss acute care hospital. The sample included 228 hospitalised patients with a fall and 228 patients without a fall as control subjects, matched by age, gender and medical diagnosis. The cases were further analysed, whereby injured patients were compared with uninjured ones. Data were obtained from patient records and the hospital information system (HIS). Patients with a previous fall, mobility disorders, altered cognition, altered urinary and fecal excretions, intake of sedativa or other psychotropic drugs, a higher amount of comorbidities and case mix, as well as a prolonged length of stay were significantly more frequent in the cases than in the controls. Patients with falls and controls showed no differences in terms of impaired vision, intake of five and more medications, or diuretica. Analysis by logistic regression revealed mobility disorder (OR 5,2; 95 % VI 2.39-11.44) and altered excretions (OR 1,8; 95 % VI 1.02-3.31) as significant main effects and there also were significant interactions between previous falls, intake of sedativa or other psychopharmaca and altered cognition. No difference could be seen in any variable between patients with a fall-related injury and no injury. Therefore a predictive profile could be found for patients at risk to fall which might be helpful for further prevention strategies. However, no predictive marker for fall-related injuries could be defined in the present study.

Nurse staffing and medication errors: cross-sectional or longitudinal relationships?

We used autoregressive latent trajectory (ALT) modeling to examine the relationship between change in nurse staffing and change in medication errors over 6 months in 284 general medical-surgical nursing units. We also investigated the impact of select hospital and nursing unit characteristics on the baseline level and rate of change in medication errors. We found essentially no support for a nurse staffing-medication error relationship either cross-sectionally or longitudinally. Few hospital or nursing unit characteristics had significant relationships to either the baseline level or rate of change in medication errors. However, ALT modeling is a promising technique that can promote a deeper understanding of the theoretically complex relationships that may underlie the nurse staffing-medication error relationship.

[Research in nursing administration area in Brazil]. / A pesquisa na area de gerenciamento em enfermagem no Brasil.

The present study had as objective the identification and analysis of knowledge production in the field of nursing management in the country, resulting from research conducted in the Master and Doctorate Programs as well as Ph.D, during the period of 1979-2000. The study sample was constituted of 138 Dissertations, 50 Doctoral Thesis and 10 PhD thesis that meant a total of 198 scientific productions. They were analyzed according to research areas in the Organizational field area. Results allowed us to visualize the distribution of that production in terms of theme, research area, decade, method, lines of thought adopted in such works, and geographic region. Results also allowed us to make considerations as to the trajectories, needs and research perspectives in Nursing administration.

Delphi survey of nursing research priorities.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To identify oncology nurses priorities for topics and issues to be addressed by developing a clinical nursing research program at a large comprehensive cancer center. DESIGN: Delphi survey, completed in two rounds. SETTING: A large comprehensive cancer center in the southern United States. SAMPLE: All 1,500 RNs employed at the cancer center. Round I asked nurses to identify topics they believed needed to be studied, and 642 nurses responded. In round II, 567 nurses ranked these priorities. METHODS: Surveys were distributed to all nurses who work in a variety of settings at the cancer center. Open-ended responses from round I were content analyzed, round II rankings of importance were described, and factor analysis was performed. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: 120 topics were identified from a content analysis of research areas described by nurses in the cancer center. FINDINGS: 120 research priorities were identified. Factor analysis revealed three factors: clinical care, nurses and skills, and administrative aspects. CONCLUSIONS: The top five research priorities identified at the cancer center were, in rank order, acute and chronic pain, infection rates and control, job satisfaction, nurse-patient ratios and staffing, and nurse retention. This study's survey included items similar to those on the recently conducted Oncology Nursing Society research priority survey. Pain and issues with infection were among the top five priorities in both surveys. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Conducting a survey to identify nurses perceptions of research was useful in involving nurses in the conduct of research, and the results were useful guides to beginning a coordinated program of nursing research.

Identifying nurse and health visitor priorities in a PCT using the Delphi technique.

A three-stage Delphi investigation was undertaken over a 4-month period in a primary care trust to identify the perceived clinical needs of nurses. Practice nurses, district nurses, health visitors and community hospital nurses all participated. In round 1, there were 28 replies from these groups of nurses, in round 2 there were 31, and in round 3 there were 25 replies. In round 1, 77 issues (excluding duplications) were identified. These were separated into three themes according to the most appropriate method for addressing the issue: education (29 issues), research (16 issues) and management (32). In round 2, the issues were redistributed in the three areas and staff were asked to choose the ten most important issues from education, research and management. Finally, in round 3 the ten issues in education, research and management were prioritized in terms of the "most pressing". The most pressing education need was recognizing accountability; the most pressing research need was caseload/dependency scoring--matching staff levels to workload, and the most pressing management need was risk management, e.g. staff safety. The results have identified locally that there is a gap between the modernization agenda and what nursing staff consider to be the issues that need addressing locally. If measures are not put in place to address these local issues, there is a danger that nurses will not take a full and active role in the modernization of the NHS.

Experiencia en la gestión de camas desde la dirección de enfermería / Bed management: experieence of nursisng management

En las organizaciones sanitarias, la gestión de camas tradicionalmente está centralizada en los servicios de admisión y documentación clínica, y cada especialidad tiene una asignación fija de camas. Sin embargo, en la Fundación Hospital Alcorcón no hay asignación de camas por especialidad médica y la gestión de las mismas es responsabilidad de la dirección de enfermería.Realizamos un estudio prospectivo durante los años 1998-2000. SP monitorizaron indicadores de efectividad y actividad hospitalaria.De los resultados obtenidos destaca la estancia media global en el hospital 5,4 días, y la ocupación hospitalaria en la hospitalización del área médica y quirúrgica con porcentajes de ocupación del 87,3 y el 86,4 per cent, respectivamente.Podemos concluir que los resultados obtenidos, con este modelo de gestión de camas son muy satisfactorios desde el punto de vista de la efectividad y la actividad alcanzada (AU)

Longitudinal evaluation of professional nursing practice redesign.

OBJECTIVES: The authors describe a 5-year study at a western university teaching hospital that evaluated the effect of organizational redesign on nurse job satisfaction, autonomy, and patient satisfaction. BACKGROUND: Change in institutional status from public to private authority stimulated this hospital to map a new direction for professional nursing practice, to strengthen autonomy and job satisfaction while improving quality care outcomes. Evaluating redesign changes systematically provided significant longitudinal trended data to guide nurse executive actions. METHODS: Phase-I evaluation, from 1992 to 1995, was a quasi-experimental design comparing pre- and poststudy outcomes of facilitator-led activities on units receiving interventions compared with control units. Of 12 outcome variables measured, 3 were sustained longitudinally into Phase II: nursing job satisfaction using the McCloskey Mueller Satisfaction Scale (MMSS), autonomy using Schutzenhofer's Scale, and patient satisfaction using the Picker Institute survey. Data were trended across units and departments over a 5-year period. RESULTS: Phase-I results reported that control units held higher nursing documentation scores than the experimental units. There were no significant differences in aggregate nurse job satisfaction scores. Nurse autonomy scores significantly improved. Other results are reported descriptively. Phase II continued the evaluation, reporting no differences in nurse job satisfaction aggregate scores a decline in autonomy, and decreased patient satisfaction scores. There were significant differences by units and across departments. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal evaluation provides significant data to guide nurse executives in an uncertain healthcare environment. Of theoretical interest is the absence of congruence in nurse job satisfaction and autonomy scores, suggesting more independence between these variables than previously reported.

Nursing in the nineties: managing the uncertainty.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined qualitative data on nurses' work lives from 53 hospitals that participated in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Outcomes Research in Nursing Administration Project (ORNA). BACKGROUND: The ORNA project examines the impact of nursing unit organizational structure on outcomes. The information reported in this article amplifies the quantitative data with qualitative data that enhances understanding of nurses' work lives. METHODS: Site coordinators at all participating hospitals were requested to send monthly journal entries for 6 months. Data were documented according to an agreed-on content outline that consisted of critical incidents and implications. Data were collected from 53 of the 65 study site coordinators (response rate 81.5%). Content analysis of all collected data was conducted by the research team. RESULTS: Study site coordinators in 53 hospitals characterize the acute care environment as turbulent and uncertain. Contributing factors include: 1) work load (fluctuating census, staff preparation, turnover); 2) loss of workplace identity (unit consolidation, hospital buy-outs, and system mergers); and 3) re-engineering (skill mix, new equipment/system changes, new documentation systems, rumored changes). CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the growing body of literature that portrays environmental uncertainty from the narrative perspective. Although there is an ongoing need for the employment of fiscally accountable, quality enhancing organizational/management strategies, all initiatives are at risk unless personnel needs are attended to and seen as unique in each care setting. Some strategies are offered to meet this dual imperative.

Outcomes for community health nursing practice.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop an easy, practical list of outcomes amenable to community health nursing interventions. This study sought to answer the following question: What outcomes are sensitive to nursing interventions in the community health setting? SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Nursing literature discusses many client outcomes. However, available outcome lists are not always sensitive to nursing interventions by community health nurses. Nurses need a precise list to measure client outcomes resulting from contact between nurses and clients in a variety of community health settings. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: The study used a modified Delphi technique to ensure adequate response from the subjects. Initially, focus groups generated items for the Delphi questionnaires. Using items from the focus groups, the researchers developed three rounds of questionnaires. In each round, nurses stated a level of agreement with each item as an outcome for community health nurses. Twenty-two community health nurses in one Southeastern state participated in four focus groups. One hundred fifty-two community health nurses returned round 1 questionnaires, 68 nurses returned round 2 questionnaires, and 48 nurses returned round 3 questionnaires. RESULTS: The researchers grouped the outcomes into four domains: client's psychosocial components of care, client's physiologic components of care, nursing intervention/implementation components of care, and environmental/community safety components of care. CONCLUSIONS: The findings produced an easy, practical list of 48 nursing outcomes for use in decision making and research by community health nurses in all settings.

A survey of the ways master's level nursing students learn the research process.

Because of the need for advanced practice nurses to perform more outcome measurement, a survey was conducted in the fall of 1997 to determine how master's level students learned the research process. Three hundred four surveys were mailed to schools with master's programs, and 222 were returned for a return rate of 73%. Sixty-six percent of the programs surveyed required a thesis and/or a research project. However, there was great variation in the research projects. A comprehensive examination was used to measure research ability by 36 programs (16%), either in conjunction with a thesis or research project or alone. One hundred forty-six programs (66%) offered only one option, be it a thesis, research project, comprehensive examination, or the many other alternative activities described by respondents. Seventy-six programs (34%) offered a variety of options from which students could select. The major differences between the thesis and the research project were related to three issues: a) the nature of the supervision; b) whether the activity was an individual or group project; and c) the amount of participation of the students. Because of the variability of expectations and the ways students are taught research, it was recommended nurse educators determine whether master's level nurse graduates were prepared to conduct outcome measurement and whether the means used to teach the research process were effective considering that endeavor.

Identifying nursing research priorities in a newly merged healthcare system.

Merging of nursing services led to key opportunities to identify nursing research priorities in the authors' institution. The literature suggested that a Delphi study would best accomplish these goals. Using a 110-member panel, a study was begun that identified two final topics that were focused on nursing administration research. Collecting these data served many purposes, including increased organizational awareness about nursing research and development of a nursing research council to facilitate future activities.