AUTONOMY IN PRACTICE OF CRITICAL CARE NURSES IN TEACHING HOSPITALS IN TAIWAN (CHINA).
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 124
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Health Care Management.
Description: Autonomy is the hallmark of professionalism. Nurses' lack of autonomy has been identified as a barrier to professionalism and a leading cause of job dissatisfaction and decisions to leave a job.

This descriptive correlational study was conducted to ascertain the level of autonomy in practice of critical care nurses working in teaching hospitals in Taiwan and the factors that affect nurses' autonomy. Orem's (1991, 1995) self-care deficit theory of nursing provided the conceptual framework for this study.

A random, but not strictly proportionally stratified, sample of 286 critical care nurses was drawn from 6 public medical centers in Taiwan. The instruments utilized included a demographic data form, the Dempster Practice Behaviors Scale (Dempster, 1990), the Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Rohner, 1991), and the Profiles of Organizational Influence Strategies (Schmidt & Yeh, 1992). Data were obtained by self-report method and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression procedures. Results indicated that the nurses had a medium to high level of autonomy in practice. Nurses' ages and feelings of self-adequacy and their head nurses' friendliness were positively correlated with nurses' autonomy in practice, whereas being married was negatively correlated with their autonomy in practice. Totally, these 4 variables accounted for 33.66% of the variance in autonomy in practice.

The findings have implications for nursing theory, education, practice, and research. Support for Orem's (1991) proposition of nurse agency was indicated. The knowledge gained can be helpful in developing curricula or in-service training programs to enhance autonomy in practice of nursing students or nurses in Taiwan. It is recommended that qualitative research be conducted to identify other variables that may contribute to nurses' autonomy in practice. Replication of this study using stricter proportionally stratified sampling procedures, a longer time frame, and inclusion of private hospital settings is also recommended.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-09, Section: B, page: 5578.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1996.

School code: 0005.