Patient safety becomes topmost priority-almost always comparable to the quality of healthcare in the facade of disturbing rates of hospital imprecisions and resultant deaths. Expansive clinical experience, exposure to evidencebased practices and active research engagement can potentially address these problematic consequences. This descriptive-correlational study identified the 304 registered nurses' professional core competencies from selected government and non-government hospitals in the Philippines and determined their impact on KPIs for patient safety outcomes. Most of the nurses' professional core competencies displayed very high grade (x=3.52, SD±0.090) specifically on safe nursing practice (x=3.88, SD±0.087, very high) followed by leadership and management (x=3.68, SD±0.086, very high) and research (x=3.01, SD±0.097, high). KPIs showed an overall mean score of 3.17 (SD±0.418, high) and among the five (5) indicators, blood management (x=3.45, SD±0.0611, very high) and medication safety (x=3.55, SD±0.493, very high) obtained the highest scores. Finally, a significant relationship exists between the nurses' professional core competencies and KPIs for patient safety outcomes and further disclosed a highly positive correlation (r-0.950, p=0.000) that undoubtedly determined the impact of professional core competencies on KPIs. Ultimately, the results concluded the vital importance of safe nursing practice, research, leadership, and management, as professional core competencies in ensuring patient safety in hospitals.

This study aimed at determining the relationship between leadership and the work engagement of nurses. This descriptive-correlational study was designed with 325 purposive nurse samples from participating three selected Philippine institutional provinces collected between March and June 2020 using Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) instruments. Mainly perceived as having moderate level transformational (216 or 66.5%), transactional (214 or 65.8%), and passive-avoidant (227 or 69.8%) leadership, nurses were specifically regarded as highly inspirational motivators (score=8.22; SD+1.873) and content with standard performance (management-by-exception, score=8.09; SD+1.995) than being passive-avoidant (score=7.02; SD+1.916). Using IBM SPSS v.26, the study utilized a chi-square test of association which found out that all three nurses’ leadership styles and their factors were statistically significant with their overall work engagement (p=.000) and its domains namely, vigor (p=.000), dedication (p=.000), and absorption (p=.000) with moderate-, relatively strong-, and strong associations. Nurses’ multifactorial leadership and work engagement were suggestive interrelated characteristics that demonstrate an increasing level of leadership congruent with a higher level of work engagement. Hence, this study offers a remarkable hypothetical underpinning nurses’ opportunity to assume leadership roles and functions to improve their overall work engagement.

This descriptive correlational study on theory validation aimed at validating one of the propositions of the theory that states, “Family caregiving trajectory is influenced by factors such as resources” with a purposive sample of 304 family caregivers in Pampanga. To facilitate the validation of the proposition, the study aimed to determine the correlation between the older adults and family caregivers' characteristics with family caregiver burden using an instrument composed of the socio-demographic profile, Barthel Index (BI) of independence, caregiving self-efficacy scale, and Zarit burden interview scale. Caregiver burden was predicted by the identified older adults’ and caregivers’ characteristics by 28.1% with respect to the R square value of 0.281. Of all identified characteristics of the older adults and family caregivers, co-morbidity presence (p=.027; B=-3.641), lack of financial support (p=.009; B=5.539), decreasing level of independence (p=.000; B=-0.134) and low efficacy in the control of upsetting thoughts (p=.000; B=-2.359) were predictive of caregiver burden. The negative connotation related to aging and “everlasting caregiving” showed a relative interest in understanding caregiver burden experience. The resources, while infused on older adults’ and family caregivers’ characteristics showed a good prediction of older adults’ independence level, financial support and presence of co-morbidities, and family caregivers’ self-efficacy towards caregiver burden. Therefore, resources come from various forms, and they play an integral part in impacting a successful family caregiving trajectory.

Nursing burnout has been linked to stress, anxiety, and depression. Increased stress and anxiety have been closely related to burnout. This study's major goal has been to determine the association of these variables in the context of nursing practice. This descriptive correlational study aimed at determining the relationship between stress, anxiety, and depression with burnout among the 307 purposive nurse samples from participating government and private hospitals in Manila, Pampanga, and Tarlac, Philippines collected between March and June 2020 using a 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) and a 16-item Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) instruments. Mostly with a normal level of stress, anxiety, and depression, the nurses had been also found to have a moderate level of overall burnout and were moderately disengaged, and exhausted. Using IBM SPSS v.26, the study utilized Pearson product-moment correlation which found that nurses’ stress had significant relationships (p=.000) with burnout, disengagement, and exhaustion; anxiety to burnout, disengagement, and exhaustion; and depression with burnout, disengagement, and exhaustion. The degree of stress, anxiety, and depression has significantly shown direct correspondence which calls for a deeper examination of sources and factors. Nurses' experience of burnout is associated with the service-oriented features of the profession. The emphasis is on the need for treatments to guarantee that burnout does not lead to higher staff turnover, degraded health care, decreased productivity, and decreased professional fulfillment. A systems approach to burnout prevention and treatment should investigate the relevant factors that are addressed in the organizational, group, and individual efforts. This study offers a remarkable hypothetical underpinning for nurses' ability to handle stressful workplace situations with resilience and professionalism.