Nursing Administration Research Priorities: Findings From a Delphi Study

Establishing a Pathway to Excellence® Research Agenda: A Delphi Study to Identify Research Priorities for Evaluating Positive Practice Environments

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to develop research priorities for positive practice environments identified by Pathway to Excellence® (Pathway) leaders and appraisers.

BACKGROUND

Identifying research priorities achieves 2 goals: 1) advancing research agendas that impact improving practice environments, and nurse and patient outcomes; and 2) informing nursing leaders, researchers, and funders of potential research projects to conduct and support.

METHODS

Research topics related to the 6 Pathway standards were developed and then rated for importance through 3 rounds of a Delphi survey by leaders at Pathway-designated organizations and Pathway appraisers.

RESULTS

Twenty research priorities were identified from the initial 54 research topics. The top 2 priorities were building and maintaining shared governance participation (91.9%) and nurse participation in performance improvement and evidence-based practice activities (90.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Establishing a Pathway research agenda will guide nursing leadership, researchers, and funders in selecting impactful research priorities to help bolster positive practice environments that engage and empower nurses.

Advancing Nursing Leadership Science Through an Innovative Research-Practice Partnership

ABSTRACT

The Association for Leadership Science in Nursing and American Organization for Nursing Leadership Foundation have formed a new research-practice collaborative. The collaborative allows for a synergistic approach to the advancement of leadership science. This article discusses the impetus for the collaborative, its structure, and how its synergy of research and practice expertise provides immense opportunity for robust, practice-relevant research.

Building the Science to Guide Nursing Administration and Leadership Decision Making

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify the challenges, barriers, and solutions for conducting nursing administration and leadership science (NALS) research.

BACKGROUND

Evidence from leadership science should be at the forefront of nurse leaders' decision making. Yet, challenges remain in building the evidence and moving it into nursing administration and leadership practice.

METHODS

This study used a Delphi technique with open-ended questions and direct content analysis to evaluate survey responses of members of the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing and American Organization for Nursing Leadership.

RESULTS

Open-ended responses were coded to yield super categories and supportive codes for areas with limited evidence to guide leadership practice and the challenges for conducting NALS research.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide future directions for continuously driving NALS research and for building and leveraging leadership science to support nursing administration decision making.

Looking Back to Move Forward: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing

This article is based on an invited presentation delivered in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing. The article begins with framing the historical context of nursing administration/leadership. The look-back includes a glimpse at the evolution of the Council on Graduate Education for Administrative Nursing into the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing. Two present-day leadership issues are then considered-turbulence and interprofessional proficiency. Lastly, the concept of problematizing is proposed as a strategy for moving forward. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow though are not tidy packages with good boundaries. The chronology, therefore, is not always linear.

Setting the Research Agenda for Nursing Administration and Leadership Science: A Delphi Study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize research topics for nursing administration and leadership science.

BACKGROUND

Nursing administration and leadership research priorities should provide a framework for building the science needed to inform practice.

METHODS

The Association for Leadership Science in Nursing (ALSN) and American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Foundation (AONL-F) for Nursing Leadership and Education collaborated on a Delphi study. Initial input on research priority items were received from ALSN and AONL members. National experts participated in a 3-round Delphi study.

RESULTS

Top-ranked priorities included: 1) nurses' health, well-being, resiliency, and safety in the workplace; 2) developing and managing a nursing workforce to meet current and future healthcare needs; 3) healthy work/practice environments for direct care nurses; 4) healthy work/ practice environments for nurse leaders; 5) quantification of nursing's value across the healthcare delivery system; and 6) nurse leader development and essential competencies.

CONCLUSIONS

Researchers and funders should use these priorities to guide future studies.

Ethical Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Mediation of Trust and Psychological Well-Being

PURPOSE

Nurses' behaviors are largely influenced by their managers' leadership style. The relationships between ethical leadership, trust, psychological well-being, and organizational citizenship behaviors have rarely been investigated in nursing studies. The current study attempted to examine the relationships between perceived ethical leadership, trust, psychological health, and nurses' organizational citizenship behaviors towards their patients in the context of Chinese hospitals.

METHODS

This research adopted a cross-sectional research design. Participants were 495 nurses solicited from six hospitals in China. Hayes's PROCESS and SPSS 22 were employed to analyze the data.

RESULTS

This study demonstrated ethical leadership perceived by nurses is positively associated with trust in management and psychological well-being. Trust in management is also positively associated with nurses' organizational citizenship behaviors. The indirect effects of perceived ethical leadership on organizational citizenship behaviors through trust in management and psychological well-being were statically significant.

CONCLUSION

This study adds value to the literature by revealing ethical leadership boosts nurses' trust in leadership and their psychological well-being, resulting in more organizational citizenship behaviors towards patients in the context of the Chinese hospitals. It is suggested that the hospital management creates an environment in which all members are treated fairly to boost nurses' psychological health and improve their service quality toward patients' satisfaction.

Barriers and Facilitators Perceived by Spanish Experts Concerning Nursing Research: A Delphi Study

The identification of research priorities in line with current health needs and nursing competencies is a priority. Nevertheless, barriers and facilitators perceived by nurses to performing nursing research have scarcely been investigated. The main aim of this study was to explore the situation in nursing research in Spain, as perceived by Spanish experts. A Delphi study technique in two phases was applied using an online survey tool. A panel of 20 nursing experts in nursing, teaching and management positions participated. The strengths highlighted were the possibility of reaching the PhD level, the possibility of receiving continuous training in research methodology, and access to scientific knowledge through the Internet. The weaknesses identified were the lack of Spanish nursing journals in which to publish the research results, the lack of funding in nursing care research, and the lack of connection between the healthcare institutions and the university. According to the experts, elements that could enhance leadership in research are the creation of nursing research units in hospitals, the economic recognition of nurses with PhDs, and considering research work as part of their daily tasks in clinical settings. The idea of being subordinated to physicians still remains in nurses’ ways of thinking.

Nurse-identified patient care and health services research priorities in the United Arab Emirates: a Delphi study

BACKGROUND

The need for improved research on ill health has been recognized internationally and locally in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council recently committed to enhancing the status and contributions of nursing in healthcare research across the UAE by establishing a National Committee for Research Development. This study using a Delphi method to identify research priorities from the perspective of nurses delivering frontline healthcare.

METHODS

A two-phase Delphi design was implemented with 1032 nurses participating in phase one of the study and 1339 in phase two.

RESULTS

The most important priority was patient safety and healthcare professionals' awareness of international patient safety goals (including staffing levels and shift length) and potential effects on patient safety. Other important priorities were infection control practices and management of communicable diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

These priorities may inform nursing research programs to improve patient care and health outcomes in the UAE and similar contexts worldwide.

Description of Nurse Scientists in a Large Health Care System

Replicating a research study that described the work of nurse scientists in children's hospitals, the purpose of the study was to describe the role, activities, and outcomes of nurse scientists employed in a national health care organization. The characteristics of nurses filling the nurse scientist role in clinical settings and outcomes associated with the role have not been extensively described. The setting of this study is ideal since the organization includes facilities of various sizes located in rural, urban, and suburban areas in 18 states. Names and contact information of nurse scientists were obtained from nurse executives at each of the 110 affiliated organizations. Nurse scientists completed an anonymous survey. The primary role of the nurse scientists is to facilitate the work of others. Recommendations to strengthen the research infrastructure are provided.

Aligning critical care interventions with patient goals: A modified Delphi study

OBJECTIVE

To develop a list of non-emergent, potentially harmful interventions commonly performed in ICUs that require a clear understanding of patients' treatment goals.

BACKGROUND

A 2016 policy statement from the American Thoracic Society and American College of Critical Care Medicine calls on intensivists to engage in shared decision-making when "making major treatment decisions that may be affected by personal values, goals, and preferences."

METHODS

A three-round modified Delphi consensus process was conducted via a panel of 6 critical care physicians, 6 ICU nurses, 6 former ICU patients, and 6 family members from 6 academic and community-based medical institutions in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region.

RESULTS

Recommendations about 8 interventions achieved consensus among respondents.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical and patient/family participants in a modified Delphi consensus process were able to identify preference-sensitive decisions that should trigger clinicians to clarify patient goals and consider initiating shared decision-making.