The Revised Nursing Work Index (NWI-R) has been used by many researchers as a measure of factors in the work environment which support professional nursing practice (Aiken & Patrician 2000, Lake 2002, Lake & Friese 2006).
The NWI-R provides a means of assessing whether those attributes that define a positive practice environment, such as professional autonomy, collaborative relationships with physicians,
access to resources, leadership and organisational support, are present (Aiken & Patrician 2000, Lake 2002, Flynn 2005).