Role of self-efficacy in nursing organizational climate: A way to develop nurses' humanistic practice ability

Aim This study aimed to investigate the impact of self-efficacy on the relationship between organizational climate and humanistic practice ability (HPA) in Chinese nurses. Background To date, studies on the effect of organizational climate on nursing care have focused on care outcomes rather than care processes. Thus, this effect remains poorly understood. Methods A total of 757 participants were sampled from three tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from November to December 2019; subsequently, they completed a structured electronic questionnaire. A structural equation model was used to explore the impact of nursing organizational climate on nurses' HPA. Results A total of 688 valid questionnaires were collected. The nurses' average HPA score was 107.82 (SD 12.47). There was a positive correlation between organizational climate and HPA (r = .409, p < .05). Additionally, self-efficacy mediated this relationship (p < .01). Conclusions This study provides new insights into nursing organizational climate, self-efficacy and nurses' HPA. Implications for Nursing Management The significant mediating effect of self-efficacy suggests that managers should implement nurse professional development programmes using targeted strategies to foster greater self-efficacy, which could improve the quality of care and nurse-patient relationships.