Role Perceptions Affecting Work Engagement of Nurses Working in Long-term Care Facilities

Survey Results for Two Prefectures in the Tohoku Region

Abstract

  This study conducted a questionnaire survey aimed at investigating the relationship between the role of nursing as perceived by nurses and the improvement of nurses’ work engagement in long-term care facilities.

  A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 198 (valid response rate 97.5%) nurses employed at long-term care facilities in two prefectures in the Tohoku region. The content of the questionnaire included questions relating to nurses’ basic characteristics and work engagement, as well as role recognition by nurses working in long-term care facilities. Multiple regression analysis was performed on the collected data and work engagement was treated as the dependent variable. The following four factors were found to have a statistically significant relationship with work engagement: age (r=0.137, p=0.035), work continuation (r=0.238, p<0.001), attitude of nurses working in long-term care facilities (r=0.205, p=0.013), and protection of dignity of older adult residents by nurses (r=0.209, p=0.013) .

  Nurses working in long-term care facilities have the potential to improve their work engagement by respecting the dignity of older adults and providing nursing care that is relevant to their lives.