Nursing Environment Varies by Department, Gender and Position in Chengdu Hospital

A cross-sectional questionnaire study of 1,154 nurses at a tertiary maternal and child specialized hospital in Chengdu, China, found a mean nursing practice environment score of 78.46 ± 14.67 on the Chinese version of the Nursing Practice Environment Scale. Quality management was the highest-scoring domain, at 89.52 ± 14.07, while participation in hospital management was the lowest, at 59.65 ± 29.28. Department, gender and professional position were associated with nurses’ assessments of the environment, each with P < 0.05.

The results identify marked differences within the hospital, particularly between its strongest management domain and its weakest area of nurse participation. Researchers distributed a questionnaire to nurses employed at the single specialized hospital and evaluated the nursing practice environment through the Chinese-language scale. The study was cross-sectional, so its results characterize associations present during the survey rather than changes over time.

It also did not test a management intervention, meaning that the statistical relationships with department, gender and professional position cannot be interpreted as proof that these characteristics caused differences in the work environment. Because the research was confined to one tertiary hospital in Chengdu, the findings should not automatically be treated as representative of other maternal and child hospitals or healthcare settings in China. The domain results reveal where the hospital’s reported strengths and weaknesses were concentrated.

The quality-management score of 89.52 ± 14.07 was nearly 30 points higher than the 59.65 ± 29.28 recorded for participation in hospital management. That difference indicates that nurses’ assessments were not uniform across the measured elements of their environment. The comparatively low participation score, combined with its large standard deviation, makes nurses’ involvement in hospital management the clearest area identified for further attention.

The investigators also compared the overall result with results from similar hospitals in coastal regions and concluded that the Chengdu hospital’s score was lower. This was a comparison between the present survey and reported results from other hospitals, not a longitudinal finding, and it therefore does not demonstrate that nursing conditions in Chengdu deteriorated over time. The authors said administrators should focus on the differentiated needs of nurses in emergency departments and intensive care units, male nurses and staff nurses.

They also recommended effective mechanisms for strengthening nurses’ participation in hospital management to reinforce professional belonging, together with continuous optimization of the practice environment.

Subject of Research: Cross-sectional assessment of nurses’ practice environment at a tertiary maternal and child hospital in Chengdu, China.

Article Title: Analysis of nursing practice environment and its influencing factors: a cross-sectional study in a maternal and child specialized hospital in China

Article References: Wu, F., Li, H., & Chen, S. (2026). Analysis of nursing practice environment and its influencing factors: a cross-sectional study in a maternal and child specialized hospital in China. Frontiers in Health Services, 6, Article 1922759. https://doi.org/10.3389/frhs.2026.1922759

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/frhs.2026.1922759

Keywords: nursing practice environment, maternal and child hospital, nurse participation, quality management, workforce stability, cross-sectional study, Chengdu, nursing survey, Analysis, nursing, practice, environment