Job satisfaction among Ethiopian nurses: a systematic review

Abstract Objective Job satisfaction is a positive emotional feeling in the working environment, and it is an essential tool with which to improve patient safety, nurses’ efficiency and performance, quality of care, retention and turnover of nurses, and commitment to the organization and the profession. There are few studies on job satisfaction of nurses in the country. Therefore, this review aims to estimate the pooled prevalence of job satisfaction among Ethiopian nurses using the available studies. Methods This systematic review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline to synthesize the evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of nurses’ job satisfaction. Databases used for searching the included articles from PubMed, Embase, CINHAL, Google Scholar, HINARI, and ScienceDirect. All papers selected for inclusion were subjected to a rigorous appraisal using a standardized critical appraisal checklist (JBI checklist). STATA software (version 11) was used for the analysis, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The Cochrane Q test statistics and I2 tests were used to assess the heterogeneity prevailing between the studies. Finally, a random effect model was computed to estimate the pooled prevalence of nurses’ job satisfaction in the country. Results In this review, the data of 1,151 nurses were obtained from six studies. The pooled prevalence of nurses’ job satisfaction was found to be 39.53% (24.52, 54.53). The prevalence of job satisfaction in the Central part of Ethiopia was low: 31.12% (95% CI 5.25, 56.99) compared to the South-Eastern part of Ethiopia’s 48.01% (95% CI 36.51, 59.52). The most common predictors identified were salary ( P < 0.05), the leadership of the organization ( P < 0.05), and training opportunities ( P < 0.05). Conclusions The pooled prevalence of job satisfaction among nurses was found to be low in comparison with global data. The significant predictors for nurses’ job satisfaction are based on the review findings, salary, leadership of organization, and training opportunities.