Original Research: Exploring Black Nurses' Perceptions of Workplace Safety and Personal Health

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the perceptions of nurses who self-identify as Black or African American regarding their workplace health and safety and to explore how these perceptions are associated with their perceived personal health. Background: Nurses practicing in unhealthy work environments can experience poorer physical and mental health. Recent civil unrest and ongoing dialogue about structural and systemic racism have prompted calls for greater efforts to understand the workplace perceptions and experiences of ethnic minority nurses, and how these influence nurses' personal well-being. But there is a dearth of relevant evidence concerning these nurses, including Black nurses. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study involved analysis of secondary data collected from May 1, 2017, through December 31, 2019, by the American Nurses Association's HealthyNurse Survey (N = 19,131). We employed descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses to examine the data for the 1,143 respondents who both self-identified as Black or African American and responded to all items concerning the major variable of personal health. Results: Overall, respondents reported a slight tendency to agree or strongly agree that their practice environments were safe. When looking at various factors explaining personal health, the perception of workplace health and safety was found to be a significant contributing factor. Conclusions: The study findings suggest that, among Black nurses, perceptions about workplace health and safety are associated with perceived personal health. These findings underscore the importance of fostering healthy work environments.