Other Titles

Clinical Session: Leaders creating health work environments

Abstract

Session presented on Saturday, April 13, 2013:

A 12-item instrument based on the standards for a healthy work environment developed by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses was used to assess nurses' work environment during change projects in a large hospital system. The instrument was used in samples of direct care nurses, nurse managers, and administrators. Six items measured the individual's contribution to the work environment and six measured co-workers' perceived contributions. Each item was graded on a scale from 'A = well above average' to 'F = failing'. Psychometric evaluation of the instrument demonstrated excellent reliability and validity in the context in which it was tested (Mays, Hrabe, & Stevens, 2011). However, qualitative analysis of the data indicated that the instrument could be modified to be applicable to a broader array of disciplines and settings. To do so would require (a) altering each item to focus on a single attribute, (b) simplifying the language to state the standards in inter-professional terms, and (c) lowering the reading level to make it more accessible to all workers. The second phase of this program of research is testing the effects of these changes on the feasibility, utility, reliability and validity of the instrument when used with nursing faculty, administrators and new graduates.

Author Details

David P. Hrabe, PhD, RN; Carol Stevens, PhD, RN; Mary Z. Mays, PhD

Sigma Membership

Beta Upsilon

Lead Author Affiliation

The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Instrumentation, Work Environment Assessment, Nurse Retention

Conference Name

Creating Healthy Work Environments 2013

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Conference Year

2013

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Rights Holder

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Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

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Assessing healthy work environment: A rapid assessment tool

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Session presented on Saturday, April 13, 2013:

A 12-item instrument based on the standards for a healthy work environment developed by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses was used to assess nurses' work environment during change projects in a large hospital system. The instrument was used in samples of direct care nurses, nurse managers, and administrators. Six items measured the individual's contribution to the work environment and six measured co-workers' perceived contributions. Each item was graded on a scale from 'A = well above average' to 'F = failing'. Psychometric evaluation of the instrument demonstrated excellent reliability and validity in the context in which it was tested (Mays, Hrabe, & Stevens, 2011). However, qualitative analysis of the data indicated that the instrument could be modified to be applicable to a broader array of disciplines and settings. To do so would require (a) altering each item to focus on a single attribute, (b) simplifying the language to state the standards in inter-professional terms, and (c) lowering the reading level to make it more accessible to all workers. The second phase of this program of research is testing the effects of these changes on the feasibility, utility, reliability and validity of the instrument when used with nursing faculty, administrators and new graduates.