Effects of a psychological capital intervention on emergency nurses' work engagement and turnover intention: A randomized controlled trial
Clinical Snapshot
PICO Framework
| P — Population | Emergency nurses from a tertiary hospital in Zhejiang Province, China (n=122) |
| I — Intervention | 6-week psychological capital intervention (PCI) program |
| C — Comparator | Routine training (control group) |
| O — Outcomes | Psychological capital, work engagement, and turnover intention measured at baseline, post-intervention, 1 month, and 3 months |
Bottom Line
This RCT suggests a 6-week psychological capital intervention may improve work engagement and reduce turnover intention among emergency nurses, with effects sustained at 3 months. However, the study has significant methodological limitations including inadequate reporting of randomisation procedures, lack of blinding, and absence of effect size data. The single-centre Chinese setting raises questions about generalisability to Australian emergency departments. While the intervention shows promise for addressing critical nursing workforce challenges, clinicians should await more robust evidence with better methodological reporting and multi-centre validation before implementing such programs. The strong statistical significance across outcomes is encouraging, but clinical significance remains unclear without effect size data.
Key Findings
P Value: P < .001 for all outcomes at T1-T3
Effect Size: Not reported
Primary Outcome: Psychological capital, work engagement, and turnover intention scores
Nnt Or Sensitivity: Not calculable from available data
Confidence Interval: Not reported
Clinical Application
6-week intervention duration appears feasible but resource requirements unclear Relevant to Australian emergency departments facing nursing shortages, though cultural adaptation may be needed. Could align with RACGP workforce wellbeing initiatives and hospital quality improvement programs Emergency department nurses experiencing high occupational stress and turnover risk
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Emergency nurses are exposed to high occupational stress, which leads to decreased psychological capital, reduced work engagement, and high turnover intention. Evidence on targeted psychological capital intervention (PCI) for this population remains limited. METHODS: A parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 122 emergency nurses from a tertiary hospital in Zhejiang Province were randomly assigned to the intervention group (6-week PCI, n = 61) or the control group (routine training, n = 61). Outcomes were measured at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), 1 month (T2), and 3 months (T3) using the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and Turnover Intention Scale. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics and outcome scores were comparable between groups (all P > .05). At T1 to T3, the intervention group had significantly higher Psychological Capital Questionnaire and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale scores and lower Turnover Intention Scale scores than the control group (all P < .001). Psychological capital was positively correlated with work engagement (R = 0.604, P < .001) and negatively correlated with turnover intention (r = -0.624, P < .001). CONCLUSION: This 6-week PCI program significantly improves psychological capital and work engagement, and reduces turnover intention among emergency nurses, with effects sustained for at least 3 months. These findings support the utility of PCI as a psychological management strategy for emergency nursing staff.
References
- 1.Sun, K., Gong, X., & Yuan, G. (2026). Effects of a psychological capital intervention on emergency nurses' work engagement and turnover intention: A randomized controlled trial. Medicine, 105(21), e48971. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000048971
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