Investigating the Effects of Positive Work Environments on Nurse Performance and Retention Outcomes

Posted: Jun 23, 2023

• Avery Rhodes
• Kian Mitchell
• Faith Nolan

Abstract

The nursing profession faces unprecedented challenges in workforce sustainability, with turnover rates exceeding 20%. Our investigation addresses a critical gap in the literature by developing quantitative measures for environmental positivity that extend beyond self-reported survey data. While numerous studies have established correlations between nurse satisfaction and retention, the mechanisms through which positive work environments influence both performance and retention remain inadequately understood. The complexity of healthcare settings requires methodological innovations that can capture the dynamic, multi-faceted nature of nursing work environments. This study poses three primary research questions that distinguish it from previous work. First, how can computational linguistics and natural language processing techniques extract meaningful indicators of environmental positivity from existing nursing documentation? Second, what nonlinear relationships exist between environmental positivity metrics and both performance outcomes and retention rates? Third, can predictive models identify early warning signs of environmental deterioration before traditional metrics detect changes? The originality of this research lies in its methodological integration of computational techniques from data science with theoretical frameworks from organizational psychology and healthcare management. By analyzing the linguistic patterns embedded in routine nursing documentation, we bypass the limitations of survey-based research while capturing real-time environmental indicators. This approach represents a significant departure from traditional methodologies in nursing workforce research.