Organizational Climate, Evidence-Based Nursing Competence, and Professional Identity Among Clinical Nurses: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study Using Mediation and Latent Profile Analyses
Abstract
Purpose This study examined the associations among perceived organizational climate, evidence-based nursing competence, and professional identity among clinical nurses. It further examined the potential indirect association between organizational climate and professional identity through evidence-based nursing competence and identified latent professional identity profiles. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted among 723 clinical nurses from four tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province, China. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Nurses’ Professional Identity Scale, the Nursing Organizational Climate Scale, and the Evidence-Based Nursing Competence Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, latent profile analysis, and multinomial logistic regression were performed. Results The mean scores for professional identity, organizational climate, and evidence-based nursing competence were 3.69 ± 0.62, 4.13 ± 0.61, and 2.52 ± 0.92, respectively. Organizational climate was positively correlated with professional identity and evidence-based nursing competence, and evidence-based nursing competence was positively correlated with professional identity. Structural equation modeling identified a statistically significant indirect association between organizational climate and professional identity through evidence-based nursing competence (standardized indirect effect = 0.062, 95% CI: 0.038–0.092), accounting for 9.5% of the total association. Latent profile analysis identified three professional identity profiles: low, moderate, and high professional identity. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that work role, organizational climate, and evidence-based nursing competence were significantly associated with profile membership. Conclusion Organizational climate and evidence-based nursing competence were positively associated with professional identity among clinical nurses. A statistically significant indirect association between organizational climate and professional identity through evidence-based nursing competence was observed, and nurses showed heterogeneous professional identity profiles. These findings highlight organizational climate and evidence-based nursing competence as potentially relevant factors for nursing management and workforce development.