Comparison between the accredited and non-accredited public hospital working environments

Objective: To compare and identify the working environment of accredited and non-accredited public hospitals. Methods: A quantitative approach with two cross-sectional studies in parallel, with 106 nurses from the hospitals, conducted between January and September of 2014. Hospital A was not accredited, and Hospital B was accredited. Data collection used a questionnaire with sociodemographic labor information and the Nursing Work Index - Revised - Brazilian version (B-NWI-R), with 57 items and four domains. The reliability of the instrument was measured using Cronbach's alpha. Results: The participants included 50 nurses of Hospital A and 56 of Hospital B. Hospitals were compared; there were statistically significant wage satisfaction (Hospital A showed greater salary satisfaction) and working hours (30-36 hours per week in Hospital B; 40 hours in Hospital A). The environment was favorable to the four domains of B-NWI-R in both hospitals, regardless of accreditation status. Conclusion: The administration of the instrument showed that hospital accreditation did not affect the nurses' work environment.