M M C van Mol, M D Nijkamp and E J O Kompanje
Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Netherlands
Open University of the Netherlands, Netherlands
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Depress Anxiety
Introduction: Personal leadership of nurses can contribute in delivering person-centered care, patient safety, teamwork, and clear communication, thus optimizing the quality of care for patients. Especially in the intensive care unit (ICU), nurses should present personal leadership in the complex care to frail elderly and their relatives. More than half of the ICU patients are 65 years or older, with delirium as a frequent, complex, and persistent complication particularly in this age group. Work engagement, operationalized as a positive work-related state of mind and characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption, is important for an inspiring work environment and development of personal leadership. This nursing leadership in turn, can contribute to work pleasure and engaged daily practice of caring to frailty elderly. Aim: The aim of the study is to explore the influence of personal resources, e.g. empathic ability and autonomy, on work engagement among ICU nurses. Methods & Materials: A cross-sectional survey study design was used among ICU nurses of Erasmus MC, a university hospital in Netherlands. Work engagement was measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, which included items about opinions related to the own work environment. Additionally, 14 items based on the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy were included to measure emphatic ability. A digital link to the questionnaire and two reminders were sent in October 2015 to 262 ICU nurses. Results: The overall response rate was 56%, with a male-female ratio of 28/72. The mean age of respondents was 44.6 years, mean working hours rated 30.7 per week. ICU nurses scored the same on vigor, higher on dedication (p<0.05), and lower on absorption (p<0.05) in comparison to the average Dutch employee. Mean cognitive empathy in ICU nurses was positively correlated with vigor (r=0.21, p<0.001), however, both cognitive and emotional empathy did not correlate with total work engagement. Nursing autonomy was positively correlated with total work engagement (r=0.28, p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest no influence of empathic ability on work engagement, while nursing autonomy and work engagement were positively associated. Empowerment of the nursing profession, which is accompanied by a larger sense of autonomy, can lead to an enhanced management of daily practice to frailty elderly. Therefore, personal leadership will shape the role of nursing and may increase sustaining work engagement.
Email: m.vanmol@erasmusmc.nl
