Job satisfaction, as a factor affecting the retention of nurses, is under extensive research and a focus of healthcare systems leadership. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of personal practice experience, sense of loneliness, perceived knowledge of KPC, and professional functioning, on job satisfaction among nurses working as dedicated carers of KPC infected patients hospitalized in isolation rooms.
Methods:
In a study with a cross-sectional design, a convenience sample of 87 registered nurses working on medical-surgical wards answered a self-administered questionnaire about (a) job satisfaction, (b) perceived knowledge of KPC infection, (c) personal experience of working in dedicated isolation rooms, (d) sense of loneliness, (e) the respondents' perception of their professional functioning on the ward. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, t tests, a one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis.
Results:
Nurses reported a slightly positive experience of working in isolation rooms, average levels of feeling lonely at work, good functioning on the ward, and high levels of perceived knowledge about source infection and job satisfaction. Nurses were more satisfied with their job when their perceived knowledge of infection control was better, their personal experience of working in KPC isolation rooms was more positive, and they perceived their professional functioning as more effective and productive. The higher the nurses' sense of loneliness the poorer their experience of working with a KPC cohort and the poorer their self-reported professional functioning on the ward. Personal experience of working in KPC-source isolation rooms and perceived level of professional functioning on the ward predicted the dependent variable, explaining 33% (R2=.327) of the variance in nurses' job satisfaction.
Conclusion:
The job satisfaction of nurses working as dedicated carers of KPC-infected patients is affected by perceived knowledge of infection control, their personal experience of working in KPC isolation rooms, and perceived professional functioning. The current study emphasizes the importance of nursing management's addressing psychosocial aspects of working as dedicated nurses in the in-ward 'bubble' in hospital settings.