Nurses’ Workplace Social Capital and Sustainable Development: An Integrative Review of Empirical Studies

Abstract

Aim. The purpose of our review was to assess the role of nurses’ workplace social capital in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN). Background. In 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with 17 universal goals was adopted by members of the UN. Although nurses have been acknowledged as important contributors to sustainable development, they still have difficulties in connecting their work to the SDGs. Nurses’ workplace social capital is an important concept in nursing management due to its constructive consequences. However, the potential association between nurses’ workplace social capital and the SDGs has not been evaluated. Evaluation. We conducted an integrative review, following the methodology of Whittemore and Knafl. Seven databases, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus with no restriction on publication year, were searched in May 2023 to identify statistically significant empirical evidence. Only peer-reviewed research papers published in English language journals were considered. We applied the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool to evaluate the quality of the selected articles. We categorized outcomes of nurses’ workplace social capital into themes and connected them to the SDGs through repeated comparisons and discussions. Key Issues. Twenty-nine of 2,188 retrieved articles were included in the final data analysis. Twenty-three outcomes of nurses’ workplace social capital were identified, and three themes were abstracted. Nurses’ workplace social capital is positively associated with SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals). Conclusion. Findings of our integrative review shed light on the importance of nurses’ workplace social capital and the role of nurses in achieving the global movement for sustainable development. Implication for Nursing Management. Investment in nursing workforce and nurses’ workplace social capital can further strengthen the position of nurses to support and deliver the SDGs.