Objective:

To explore the perception of Colombian professional nurses about the definition and the main characteristics of a healthy work environment (HWE) for nursing care practice in the hospital setting.

Methodology:

Descriptive qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine professional nurses recruited through non-probabilistic sampling. The interviews were recorded, literally transcribed and coded. Through the organization and structuring of these codes, it was possible to establish categories and subcategories.

Results:

From the data analysis it was possible to establish a definition of healthy work environment and two dimensions (categories), and 10 main characteristics (subcategories) of the concept were obtained.

Conclusions:

The findings of this study allow a better understanding of the perception of Colombian nurses about the definition and essential characteristics of an HWE for nursing practice in the hospital setting. These findings contribute to the development of HWE measurement tools that are adjusted to the conditions and reality of professional practice in the Colombian hospital setting.