The Relationship Between Professional Autonomy and Job Stress Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Descriptive Correlational Study

Gharaaghaji Asl, Rasool and Taghinejad, Roghaie and Parizad, Naser and , Madine (2022) The Relationship Between Professional Autonomy and Job Stress Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Descriptive Correlational Study. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research.

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Abstract

© 2022 Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 119 Introduction Nurses working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) must be responsible for their decisions in caring for patients in critical conditions. The key tool for the professional nurse to make the right decisions is professional autonomy.[1,2] Nurses with professional autonomy have the power to make decisions about their patients’ needs and implement such decisions.[3] Professional autonomy enables nurses to make proper decisions to establish and preserve patient safety, improve the quality of care, keep nurses in their profession, and ensure job satisfaction.[2,4] The nurses who are working with low professional autonomy and low‑level decision‑making authority might experience a variety of unpleasant personal and professional feelings such as lack of motivation,[5] dissatisfaction,[2,4] nurses’ physical and mental issues,[4] stress in the work environment,[6] intention Address for correspondence: Dr. Naser Parizad, Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, Campus Nazlu, 11 KM Road Seru, Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran. E-mail: nparizad@gmail.com Access this article online Website: www.ijnmrjournal.net DOI: 10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_375_20 Quick Response Code: Abstract Background: Autonomy is an essential factor in the nursing profession. Nurses’ autonomy can improve care quality, decrease mortality in patients, and attenuate job stress. This study aimed to investigate professional autonomy and its relationship with job stress among nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Materials and Methods: This descriptive correlational study was conducted at Urmia nursing school in Iran in 2020. Three hundred ninety‑eight nurses working at the ICUs entered the study. Data was collected using the Dempster Practice Behavior Scale (DPBS) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) questionnaire. Independent t‑test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the relationship between demographics and study variables. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to investigate the relationship between professional autonomy and job stress of nurses. Results: The mean (SD) of total professional autonomy and job stress score of nurses was, respectively, 102. 11(91. 88), and 115. 53(12. 42), indicating moderate autonomy and job stress. Professional autonomy had a significant positive correlation with job stress (r = 0.51, p < 0.001). It also had a significant positive correlation with work experience in ICU (r = 0.12, p = 0.014). Conclusions: ICU nurses have moderate autonomy and job stress, and their autonomy is a significant positive predictor of their job stress. University authorities are recommended to develop practical strategies to enhance nurses’ autonomy and eliminate factors that cause job stress in ICU nurses in order to preserve nurses’ health, improve the quality of nursing care, and increase patient safety

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