Antecedents and outcomes of work engagement among nursing staff in long-term care facilities-A systematic review.

AIM

To determine antecedents and outcomes of work engagement (WE) among nursing staff in long-term care (LTC) using the Job Demand-Resources model.

DESIGN

A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement and Synthesis Without Meta-analysis in systematic reviews guideline. A study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (registration number CRD42022336736).

DATA SOURCES

The initial searches were performed in PsycInfo, Medline, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL and Scopus and yielded 3050 unique publications. Updated searches identified another 335 publications. Sixteen studies published from 2010 to 2022 were included.

REVIEW METHODS

The screening of titles and abstracts, and subsequently full-text publications, was performed blinded by two author teams using the inclusion/exclusion criteria. When needed, a mutual consensus was obtained through discussion within and across the teams. A descriptive and narrative synthesis without a meta-analysis of the included studies was performed.

RESULTS

The extent of research on WE in LTC facilities is limited and the factors examined are heterogeneous. Of forty-two unique antecedents and outcomes, only three factors were assessed in three or more studies. Antecedents-in particular job resources-are more commonly examined than outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Existing literature offers scant evidence on antecedents and outcomes of WE among nursing staff in LTC facilities. Social support, learning and development opportunities and person-centred processes are the most examined factors, yet with ambiguous results.

IMPACT

Antecedents and outcomes of engagement among nursing staff in LTC facilities have not previously been reviewed systematically. Engagement has been correlated with both more efficient and higher-quality service delivery. Our findings suggest opportunities to improve health and care services by enhancing engagement, whilst at the same time better caring for employees. This study lays the groundwork for more detailed research into the contributing factors and potential results of increasing caregivers' engagement. No patient or public contribution.