Evaluation of health care work environments via a social climate scale: results of a field study

Health care organizations must be concerned with their work environment and its effect on their ability to function effectively. Areas such as medical protocol, professional education, and patient care receive constant attention, as they should; but perhaps training in traditional management may be lacking, especially among first-level and middle-level management. Due to a lack of in-depth management training and experience, some health care supervisors may not be fully aware of the work climate in their organization, or of the implications of that climate. This article addresses the concept of organization climate and suggests the use of a standardized scale--the Work Environment Scale (Moos 1986) for climate assessment. An example of its application in a hospital is provided.