Administrative Supervisors: A Qualitative Exploration of Their Perceived Role

Experiences and perceptions of nurses working night shift: a qualitative systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review was to examine the available evidence on the experiences and perceptions of nurses working the night shift within any specialty in the acute care, subacute, or long-term care setting.

INTRODUCTION

Nurses are required for around-the-clock patient care. Night shift nurses can experience detrimental effects because of their work hours, which disrupt their normal circadian rhythm. Understanding nurses' experiences and perceptions when working night shift will facilitate the development of strategies to minimize the potential negative effects of working at night. In examining nurses' experiences and perceptions of working night shift, there is scope to explore how to improve night shift nurses' practice environment and job satisfaction, which will then translate to improved nurse and patient outcomes.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This review included qualitative studies focused on the experiences and perceptions of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who work the night shift or rotate between day and night shift.

METHODS

This review followed the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. The methodology used was consistent with the a priori protocol. Studies included in this review were those published in full text, English, and between 1983 (when the seminal work on hospitals that attract and retain nurses was published) and February 2021, when the search was completed. The main databases searched for published and unpublished studies included MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and Web of Science.From the search, two reviewers independently screened the studies against the inclusion criteria, and then papers selected for inclusion were assessed for methodological quality. Qualitative data were extracted from the included papers independently by the four reviewers. Results from each reviewer were discussed and clarified to reach agreement. The extracted findings were pooled and examined for shared meaning, coded, and grouped into categories. Common categories were grouped into meta-synthesis to produce a comprehensive set of synthesized findings. The final synthesized findings were graded using the ConQual approach to determine the level of confidence (trust) users may have in the value of the synthesized findings.

RESULTS

Thirty-four papers, representing 33 studies, met the criteria for inclusion. The studies were conducted in 11 countries across six continents, with a total of 601 participants. From these, a total of 220 findings were extracted and combined to form 11 categories based on similarity in meaning, and three syntheses were derived: i) The "Other" Shift: the distinctiveness of night nursing; ii) Juggling sleep and all aspects of life when working nights; and iii) Existing in the Twilight Zone: battling the negative impact of sleep deprivation consumes nurses who strive to keep patients, self, and others safe.

CONCLUSIONS

The major conclusions from this review are the uniqueness of working the night shift and the sleep deprivation of night nurses. Organizational strategies and support are needed for those working this shift, which will enhance nurse and patient safety.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42019135294.

Validation of the Nurse Managers' Work Content Questionnaire and Factors-A Structural Equation Modeling Study

BACKGROUND

The responsibilities of nurse managers are diverse and occasionally inadequately organized. Moreover, the role of nurse manager often lacks a clear job description. Few methodologies for evaluating the content of nurse managers' work exist.

PURPOSE

This study was designed to validate the Nurse Managers' Work Content Questionnaire (NMWCQ) instrument and to analyze the relationships between NMWCQ factors and background variables using structural equation modeling.

METHODS

A multicenter descriptive and cross-sectional study design was used. The NMWCQ, which includes 87 items across 13 components, was developed based on a comprehensive literature review and pilot study. The questionnaire was sent to all of the nurse managers ( N = 756) employed at eight Finnish hospitals in 2019. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to psychometrically test and validate the NMWCQ, whereas Cronbach's alpha values were calculated to explore the internal consistency of the instrument. Structural equation modeling was applied to detect the relationships between the constructed factor structure and the background variables.

RESULTS

Two hundred seven nurse managers participated in this study. The final solution for the NMWCQ included 75 items across 12 factors. The NMWCQ factors were as follows: responsibility for new employees, daily management, human resource management, decision making, clinical nursing, development, planning of processes, collaboration, ensuring knowledge, evidence-based management, ensuring care quality, and financial management. The items showed factor loadings that were either positive or negative, with values ranging from .314 to .846. The Cronbach's alpha values for the factors ranged between .605 and .851. All of the covariances and relationships between background variables and factors were found to be significant ( p ≤ .05). The structural equation modeling showed acceptable index results (incremental fit index = .954, comparative fit index = .951, and root mean square error of approximation = .048).

CONCLUSIONS

The NMWCQ version assessed in this study shows a more robust structure than the previously published pilot version. Psychometric testing showed the NMWCQ as suitable for describing the diverse work requirements of nurse managers and may offer a framework for concretizing the job description of nurse managers.

Experiences and perceptions of nurses working night shift: a qualitative systematic review protocol

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this qualitative systematic review is to examine the available evidence on the experiences of nurses working the night shift within any specialty in the acute care, subacute, or long-term care setting.

INTRODUCTION

Nurses are required for round-the-clock patient care, and night shift nurses can experience detrimental effects as a result of their work hours. Understanding nurses' experiences when working night shift will facilitate the development of strategies to minimize the potential negative effects of working at night. In examining nurses' perceptions of working night shift, there is scope to explore how to improve night shift nurses' practice environment and job satisfaction, which will then translate to improved patient outcomes.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This review will consider qualitative studies that include registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who work night shift or rotate between day and night shift. Night supervisors and advanced practice nurses will be excluded due to the potential for dissimilar experiences and resources within those groups. The search will be limited to studies published in English from 1983 to the present.

METHODS

The search strategy is designed to locate both published and unpublished qualitative studies by searching academic databases for published studies, gray literature, and hand searching reference lists. The study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and synthesis for this systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42019135294.

Relationships between nurse managers' work activities, nurses' job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication errors at the unit level: a correlational study

BACKGROUND

Nurse managers play a critical role in enhancing nursing and patient outcomes. The work of nurse managers, who can be described as middle-managers at health care organizations, is complex and changes on a daily basis. Only a few studies have clarified how nurse managers divide their time across various work activities. This study aimed to describe the relationships between nurse managers' work activities, nurses' job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication errors at the hospital unit level.

METHODS

A cross-sectional and correlational study design was used. The data were collected from nurse managers (n = 29), nursing staff (n = 306), and patients (n = 651) from 28 units across three Finnish acute care hospitals between April and November 2017. In addition, data concerning medication errors (n = 468) over one calendar year (2017) were acquired from the hospitals' incident reporting register. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to estimate relationships between data from subareas of Nurse Managers' Work Content Questionnaire, Kuopio University Hospital Job Satisfaction Scale, and Revised Humane Caring Scale, along with medication error reports. A significance level of 95% was applied when estimating the covariances between variables. Unstandardized regression coefficients (B) were used to explain the relationships between variables.

RESULTS

Multiple relationships between nurse managers' work activities, nurses' job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication errors were identified. Nurse managers' work activities had both positive and negative relationships on the other studied variables. The Requiring factors of work (p < .001) subarea of nurses' job satisfaction, total patient satisfaction (p < .001), and medication errors (p < .001) were identified as the variables most significantly affected by other factors.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that nurse managers should focus on improving nursing practices by managing and organizing nurses' work in a way that makes their employees feel supported, motivated and secure. Furthermore, nurse managers should adopt a leadership style that emphasizes safe and patient-centered care. The results also suggest that the administration of today's health care organizations should actively evaluate nurse managers' share of work activities to ensure that their daily work is in line with the organizational goals.

Fortalecer la coordinación de enfermería para mejorar el cuidado hospitalario

Introducción: La coordinación adecuada para organizar la atención de enfermería a nivel hospitalario es decisiva frente al servicio que se ofrece a los sujetos de cuidado y al mejoramiento permanente de la institución. Objetivo: Describir qué dice la literatura mundial sobre cómo fortalecer el rol de coordinación de enfermería a nivel hospitalario. Materiales y Métodos: Búsqueda integradora de literatura bajo parámetros de Ganong, con publicaciones arbitradas, observación de seis años, sin límites geográficos, en idiomas inglés, español y portugués.  Resultados: De acuerdo con la literatura surgen tres categorías que incluyen: características del rol de coordinador de enfermería; impacto de esta coordinación en los resultados frente al sujeto de cuidado; y estrategias para fortalecer el rol de coordinación dentro de la institución. La evidencia que respalda el desarrollo de la coordinación de enfermería en el hospital es débil, con una mayoría de estudios de tipo descriptivo. Discusión: La coordinación de enfermería debe articular la dirección y la operación en el hospital y para ello requiere conocer y acompañar la directriz institucional a mediano y largo plazo y manejar estrategias de motivación y acompañamiento para facilitar su logro. Conclusiones:  En una institución hospitalaria, la enfermera coordinadora debe mantener el norte en medio de la cotidianeidad de la asistencia; acompañar y motivar al personal a su cargo mediante competencias de liderazgo, trabajo en equipo y conocimiento clínico e institucional.  Requiere para el ejercicio de su rol, proyectar el cambio y mantener un pensamiento integrador. Como citar este artículo: Laverde Contreras Olga Lucia, Sánchez Herrera Beatriz. Fortalecer la coordinación de enfermería para mejorar el cuidado hospitalario. Revista Cuidarte. 2020; 11(2): e826. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.826

Nurse managers' work content: development of the questionnaire and results of the pilot study

AIM

To develop the Nurse Managers' Work Content Questionnaire (NMWCQ) and to describe nurse managers' work content.

BACKGROUND

Restructuring within health care has expanded the nurse manager's role to include organisational, patient and staff demands.

METHODS

The pilot study employed a cross-sectional study design. Based on a literature review, the NMWCQ with 102 items was developed and pretested for this study. Data were collected in 2017 from three Finnish acute care central hospitals that provide specialised health care. A total of 61 nurse managers participated, which represents a response rate of 59%. Principal component analysis was used to test the construct validity of the instrument. Cronbach's alpha values were used to analyse the internal consistency of the instrument. In addition, descriptive and nonparametric analysis was used.

RESULTS

Ultimately, 13 components with 87 items were identified in the questionnaire. The construct validity and internal consistency of the questionnaire were at acceptable levels. Cronbach's alpha rates of the components were 0.554 - 0.890. The most frequently performed daily work of nurse managers was in the component of organising, and the most infrequently performed daily work was in the component of clinical nursing.

CONCLUSIONS

The study shows that the Nurse Managers' Work Content Questionnaire (NMWCQ) is suitable for measuring the current content of nurse managers' work. However, the questionnaire is new and needs additional testing such as confirmatory factor analysis with larger amounts of data.

Delineation of the Nursing Supervisor Role: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to describe a sample of nursing supervisors and their work.

BACKGROUND

The role of the nursing supervisor is not well understood. The supervisor population is poorly defined, as are their ideal academic preparation and work activities.

METHODS

This study followed the American Nurses Credentialing Center® framework for role delineation studies. A convenience sample of 50 nursing supervisors from New Jersey was recruited to complete an online survey including demographic data and prioritization of work activities.

RESULTS

Participants represented a homogeneous and aging workforce with diverse professional preparation. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 6 categories of nurse supervisor work including administrative presence, leadership liaison, patient safety and experience, patient care advocacy, throughput, and external response. Work activities were prioritized.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurse supervisors prioritized responding to emergencies above all other responsibilities. This study should be replicated in a nationwide sample of nurse supervisors.

Report From the Night Shift: How Administrative Supervisors Achieve Nurse and Patient Safety

The administrative supervisor role (the nurse leader on the evening or night shift) has been present in hospitals for more than 100 years, but research is just commencing regarding how this leader achieves nurse and patient safety. This focused ethnographic study was conducted in 2 parts. The first part consisted of focus groups with night-shift staff nurses, held at 7 hospitals in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, with the objective of obtaining the staff nurses' perception of the supervisors' role. The second part consisted of interviews with 30 administrative supervisors, recruited nationally from 20 different states, to explore the supervisors' perspective on practices used to enhance safety. The focus group and interview transcripts were thematically analyzed, using an iterative, comparative method to identify codes and sort for patterns. The findings reveal that administrative supervisors "make it (whatever needs to be done) work" and achieve nurse and patient safety by building trust with the staff, doing rounds, educating, and providing support to the front line team. These shift leaders foster a culture of safety with their relationship-oriented leadership style. By gaining further understanding about the administrative supervisor role, new workflow processes can be explored; specific continuing education programs can be developed; and additional research can be conducted.