Optimising Quality of Care and Well-being through Work Engagement: A Study with Midwives

The present study sought to examine the role of employee engagement in the quality of care delivered within midwifery units as well as links between engagement and mental well-being. Questionnaires consisting of standardised measures were distributed through the wards in two large maternity hospitals. This resulted in a total sample of 168 midwives and nurses, representing about 40% of the total midwifery population within the two hospitals. Structural Equation Modelling analysis revealed a best-fit model that demonstrated engagement to be a significant partial mediator between supervisor quality and quality of care and between social support from colleagues and mental well-being. Together, supervisor quality, social support and professional commitment, mediated by engagement, explained 51% of the variance in quality of care at the unit level and 43% of variance in mental well-being (÷2 (28)= 32.6, p = .25, CFI=.993, RMSEA = .03). This study provides compelling evidence for the importance of individual le...