Abstract
BACKGROUND In the context of healthcare, nurses' professional values and job satisfaction and the ethical climate in the hospital are key elements affecting the quality of patient care. The purpose of this study was to assess these elements among Polish nurses and explore their interrelationships to improve nurses' professional well-being and patient outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional survey was conducted among 388 Polish nurses between March 2021 and February 2023. RESULTS The following scores were obtained on the scales: Nurses Professional Values Scale-3 (NPVS-3): 84.47; Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Short Form (MSQ-SF): 60.37; and Hospital Ethical Climate Survey (HECS): 77.66. A positive correlation was observed between MSQ-SF and HECS scores (rho=0.169; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed numerous strong correlations between nurses' professional values, their job satisfaction, and the ethical climate in hospitals, which may provide important information for managerial personnel working on strategies to increase nurses' job satisfaction. Effective management of the professional values and ethical climate of hospitals has become a key pillar in building a healthy work environment and influencing job satisfaction, which in turn is capable of improving the well-being of nurses and the quality of patient care. Moreover, the ethical climate of the hospital has an impact on patient satisfaction through the professional values of nurses.