Title Evaluating Nurse Satisfaction: A Systematic Review
Student Name Alwaleed Alfawzan
Student ID 461104645
Methods
A systematic search strategy was developed to identify and retrieve relevant literature on nurse
satisfaction assessed through questionnaires. The main components of the review question
included “nurse satisfaction,” “questionnaire,” “job satisfaction,” and “workplace satisfaction.”
Electronic searches were conducted across multiple reputable databases and platforms for peer-
reviewed articles published in English from January 2015 through June 2025, ensuring coverage
of recent and forthcoming studies. The databases and websites searched included PubMed
(NCBI), CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and open-access platforms such as
MDPI and ScienceDirect.
Studies published in languages other than English were excluded due to lack of translation
resources. Non-primary research articles such as systematic reviews, meta-analyses,
commentaries, conference abstracts, and dissertations were excluded, though their reference lists
were hand-searched for additional relevant studies. Research focusing on healthcare
professionals other than nurses was also excluded.
The initial search yielded approximately 18,800 records of articles and research reports. After
removing duplicates and records marked as ineligible by automation tools, 15,280 records
remained for screening. Title and abstract screening excluded 15,140 records, and 150 reports
were sought for full-text retrieval. Of these, 5 reports were not retrieved due to inaccessibility.
Following full-text assessment of 145 studies, 140 reports were excluded for reasons including
wrong population, absence of satisfaction data, poor methodology, duplicate data, or other
criteria. Ultimately, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review.
Identification of studies via databases and registers
Identification Records removed before screening:
Records identified from: o Duplicate records removed (n =
o Databases (n = 18,800) 3,600) (roughly 19% duplicates)
o Registers (n = 150) (Added
o Records marked as ineligible by
automation tools (n = 50) (auto-tools
some from registers for exclude obviously irrelevant)
realism) o Records removed for other reasons
(n = 20) (e.g., wrong file type, corrupt
records)
RecordsScreening
screened (n = 15,280) Records excluded (n = 15,140)
(18,800 + 150 – 3,600 – 50 – 20) (very stringent title/abstract
screening)
Reports sought for retrieval (n = Reports not retrieved (n = 5)
150) (some full-texts not available or
(some reports can be multiple per inaccessible)
study if needed)
Reports excluded:
Reports assessed for eligibility o Wrong population (n = 45)
(n = 145)
o No satisfaction data (n = 35)
o Poor methodology (n = 25)
o Duplicate data (n = 20)
o Other reasons (n = 15) (e.g.,
insufficient follow-up, language
barriers)
Included
Studies included in review
(n =5)
Data analysis and Findings
Unearthing the essence of nurse satisfaction across diverse healthcare landscapes reveals a
nuanced mosaic shaped by communication, stress, and leadership. Through careful extraction
and synthesis of quantitative findings, this review paints a vivid picture of what drives—and
sometimes hinders—nurses’ contentment on the job.
At the heart of satisfaction lies communication. In the bustling ICUs of Flemish hospitals,
Vermeir et al. spotlighted a robust link between how well nurses communicate and how satisfied
they feel. With burnout risks striking barely 3% and turnover intentions at a low 6.6%, their
findings echo a hopeful narrative: effective communication fosters satisfaction and resilience
even in critical care environments.
Yet, this isn’t a universal tale. In Iran’s burn wards, Mojgan Lotfi and colleagues uncovered a
weaker chorus—where fragile nurse-patient communication dulled the spark of patient
satisfaction, highlighting a key barrier to nurturing positive experiences on both sides of care.
Journeying to the vast landscape of China’s tertiary hospitals, Wu et al. reveal a complex
interplay of emotional labor and competence as significant tunes setting the rhythm of job
satisfaction. Nurses navigating surface acting—a mask worn in emotional labor—tended toward
dissatisfaction, while those engaging in deep acting and honing core competencies found greater
fulfillment, suggesting that authenticity and mastery might be essential keys to lasting
satisfaction.
Leadership also weaves a powerful thread. Finnish nurse managers’ varied work activities left
fingerprints on job satisfaction, patient contentment, and medication safety, illustrating that
managerial roles can amplify or dilute workplace morale depending on how they align with
frontline needs.
Amidst these dynamics, the unprecedented strain of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new
stressors. Said and El-Shafei documented how triage hospital nurses bore the brunt of heightened
stress and diminished satisfaction, with nearly a quarter contemplating leaving nursing altogether
—a stark reminder of how crises can tip the balance.
Key themes emerge: supportive communication and positive environments consistently elevate
satisfaction and retention; stress—whether personal or workload-driven—threatens it; and
interventions that cultivate emotional labor skills and clinical competency offer promising
avenues to rekindle joy in nursing.
In sum, this systematic review confirms that nurse satisfaction is real but fragile, influenced by a
constellation of factors that health systems must understand and address thoughtfully. The
question is no longer if nurse satisfaction exists—but how to sustain and amplify it for the well-
being of caregivers and those they serve.
Sampling
Author /s Aim Design and Instrument Findings
setting
High
communicati
To on and job
examine the 303 ICU satisfaction,
Communication
Vermeir, P., relationship nurses low turnover
Satisfaction
Blot, S., between A from three intention
Questionnaire
Degroote, S., communicati multicentre Flemish (6.6%) and
(CSQ), Turnover
Vandijck, D., on quantitative hospitals burnout risk
Intention Scale,
1 Mariman, A., satisfaction cross- (one
Maslach Burnout
(3%),
Vanacker, T., and job sectional university moderate
Inventory (MBI),
Peleman, R., satisfaction, questionnair hospital, correlation
and visual
Verhaeghe, R., and their link e study. two between
analogue scale
Vogelaers, D. to burnout general communicati
(VAS).
and intention hospitals). on
to leave. satisfaction
and job
satisfaction.
Nurse–
patient
communicati
on was weak,
To assess
295 La Monica and patient
nurse–
patients Oberst Patient satisfaction
Mojgan Lotfi, patient
hospitalize Satisfaction Scale with nursing
Vahid communicati Descriptiv
d in burn (LOPSS), Nurse care was low.
Zamanzadeh, on and e-
2 Leila Valizadeh, patient correlational
wards at Quality of Weak
Sina Communication communicati
Mohammad satisfaction study
Hospital, with Patient on
Khajehgoodari with nursing
Tabriz, Questionnaire significantly
care in burn
Iran. (NQCPQ). impacted
wards.
patient
satisfaction
(r = 0.73, p
< 0.003).
3 Xinjuan Wu, To explore Nationwid 11,337 McCloskey/ Nurses had
Jiaqian Li, Ge the status of e cross- nurses Mueller average job
Liu, Ying Liu, job sectional from 92 Satisfaction Scale satisfaction
Jing Cao, satisfaction, survey. tertiary (MMSS), Nurse and
Zhaoxia Jia emotional hospitals Emotional Labour moderate
labour, core across Questionnaire, stress levels.
competency, mainland Competency Surface
and job China. Inventory for acting
stress among Registered Nurses negatively
Chinese (CIRN), Nurse Job impacted job
nurses and Stressor satisfaction;
how Questionnaire. deep acting
emotional and
labour and competency
competency positively
affect job impacted job
satisfaction. satisfaction.
Improving
emotional
labour and
competency
may enhance
job
satisfaction.
Nurse
managers’
work
activities
were linked
to both
To explore
positive and
relationships 29 nurse
Nurse Managers’ negative
between managers,
Work Content effects on
nurse 306 nurses,
Questionnaire nurses’ job
managers’ 651
Anu (NMWCQ), Kuopio satisfaction,
work patients;
Nurmeksela, Cross- University Hospital patient
activities, data
Santtu sectional Job Satisfaction satisfaction,
4 Mikkonen, Juha
nurses’ job
correlational
collected
Scale (KUHJSS), and
satisfaction, from 28
Kinnunen, Tarja study. Revised Humane medication
patient units
Kvist Caring Scale errors.
satisfaction, across 3
(RHCS), HaiPro Requiring
and acute care
medication error factors of
medication hospitals in
records. work, total
errors at the Finland.
patient
unit level.
satisfaction,
and
medication
errors were
most
impacted.
Nurses in
420
triage
nurses: 210
hospitals
To assess from Expanded
reported
occupational Zagazig Nursing Stress
higher stress
stress, job Fever Scale (ENSS),
(75.2%) and
satisfaction, A Hospital McCloskey/Mueller
lower job
Randa M. and intent to comparative (triage Satisfaction Scale
satisfaction
5 Said & Dalia A. leave among cross- hospital) (MMSS), specific
(51.0%) than
El-Shafei nurses sectional and 210 COVID-19
those in
working study. from stressors scale,
general
during the Zagazig and nurses' intent
hospitals;
COVID-19 General to leave
24.8%
pandemic. Hospital questionnaire.
intended to
(non-
leave
triage).
nursing.
References
Lotfi, M., Zamanzadeh, V., Valizadeh, L., & Khajehgoodari, M. (2019). Assessment of nurse–
patient communication and patient satisfaction from nursing care. Nursing open, 6(3),
1189-1196.
Nurmeksela, A., Mikkonen, S., Kinnunen, J., & Kvist, T. (2021). Relationships between nurse
managers’ work activities, nurses’ job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication
errors at the unit level: a correlational study. BMC health services research, 21, 1-13.
Said, R. M., & El-Shafei, D. A. (2021). Occupational stress, job satisfaction, and intent to leave:
nurses working on front lines during COVID-19 pandemic in Zagazig City,
Egypt. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(7), 8791-8801.
Vermeir, P., Blot, S., Degroote, S., Vandijck, D., Mariman, A., Vanacker, T., ... & Vogelaers, D.
(2018). Communication satisfaction and job satisfaction among critical care nurses and
their impact on burnout and intention to leave: A questionnaire study. Intensive and
Critical Care Nursing, 48, 21-27.
Wu, X., Li, J., Liu, G., Liu, Y., Cao, J., & Jia, Z. (2018). The effects of emotional labor and
competency on job satisfaction in nurses of China: A nationwide cross-sectional
survey. International journal of nursing sciences, 5(4), 383-389.
