Nurse Managers' Emotional Intelligence and Effective Leadership: A Review of the Current Evidence

Healthcare leadership practice and associated factors among primary healthcare managers in East Gojam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: a mixed method study

BACKGROUND

Leadership plays a critical role in the delivery of person centered, safe, efficient, and effective healthcare services globally. Poor healthcare leadership contributes to low staff motivation, patient dissatisfaction, and reduced healthcare-seeking behavior. However, there is limited evidence on healthcare leadership practice and associated factors among primary healthcare managers in the study area and at large in Ethiopia. Therefore, the findings of this study will contribute to improved healthcare leadership practices among primary healthcare managers.

METHOD

Facility-based cross-sectional study supplemented with qualitative inquiry was conducted in the East Gojam zone among 532 primary healthcare managers selected by a two-stage stratified random sampling technique. A pre-tested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the quantitative data. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported into Stata version 14.0 for analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with healthcare leadership practice, and statistical significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05 with a 95% CI. Six key informant interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was used for the qualitative study.

RESULT

The magnitude of healthcare leadership practice among primary healthcare managers in the East Gojam zone was 45.7% (95% CI: (41.4, 50.0)). Factors associated with healthcare leadership practice were age [β = 0.44, 95% CI: (0.16, 0.71)], training in healthcare leadership practice [β = 1.19, 95% CI: (0.19, 2.20)], experience sharing [β = 1.68, 95% CI: (0.59, 2.76)], organizational communication [β = 0.19, 95% CI: (0.05, 0.33)], managerial working experience [β = 0.94, 95% CI: (0.18, 1.69)] and emotional intelligence [β = 0.35, 95% CI: (0.31, 0.38)].

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The magnitude of healthcare leadership practice among primary healthcare managers in the East Gojam zone was low as compared with a previous study in Ethiopia. It was significantly associated with age, training in leadership, experience sharing, organizational communication, managerial working experience, and emotional intelligence. Thus, human resource managers at primary healthcare level should consider older and more experienced candidates during assigning managers, organize training on healthcare leadership and experience sharing with model managers to improve the leadership practice of primary healthcare managers in the East Gojam zone.

[Factors Related to Emotional Leadership in Nurses Manager: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis]

PURPOSE

This study aimed to identify research trends related to emotional leadership among nurse managers by conducting a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. This study sought to derive insights that could contribute to improving emotional leadership in nursing practice.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and Meta-Analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. Databases including PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, Web of Science, Research Information Sharing Service, Koreanstudies Information Service System, Korean Medical Database, KoreaMed, ScienceON, and DBpia were searched to obtain papers published in English and Korean. Literature searches and screenings were conducted for the period December 1, 2023 to December 17, 2023. The effect size correlation (ESr) was calculated for each variable and the meta-analysis was performed using the statistical software SPSS 29.0, R 4.3.1.

RESULTS

Twenty-five (four personal, six job, and fifteen organizational) relevant variables were identified through the systematic review. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the total overall effect size was ESr = .33. Job satisfaction (ESr = .40) and leader-member exchange (ESr = .75) had the largest effect size among the job and organizational-related factors.

CONCLUSION

Emotional leadership helps promote positive changes within organizations, improves organizational effectiveness, and increases member engagement and satisfaction. Therefore, it is considered an important strategic factor in improving organizational performance.

Emotional Intelligence and Occupational Stress Among Nursing Professionals in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Bangalore: A Multicentric, Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Nursing profession requires strength and resilience not just physically, but emotionally as well which requires them to adapt in stressful situations that they are often exposed to in their work environment.

Objective

To determine the prevalence and associated factors of emotional intelligence (EI) and occupational stress (OS) among the nursing professionals from selected tertiary care hospitals in Bangalore, India.

Methods

This was a multi-centric, cross-sectional study done among nurses with more than 1year of work experience and they were randomly selected from four tertiary care hospitals in Bangalore. The EI and OS were assessed using the Emotional intelligence scale (EIS) and Occupational Stress Index (OSI). Data was collected, both online and offline, owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The data was analyzed using SPSS v21.0 to calculate the mean, associations, and regression.

Results

Out of the total 294, the mean age of the study participants was 27±4.92years. A total of 75 (25.5%) nurses had poor EI and 245 (83.3%) had moderate OSI. None of the participants had high OSI. There was a significant association between the severity grades of EI and OSI (P = 0.010) and a binary logistic regression showed that those staff with high EI had a lesser odd (OR 0.531, 95% CI 0.282-0.999) of developing occupational stress as compared to those with low EI.

Conclusion

EI plays a significant role in reversing the effect of one's occupational stress. Thereby, the training curriculum should include skills and measures of resilience to facilitate their EI improvement.

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Management Strategies From the Nurse Managers’ Perspective

Everyday nursing work inevitably involves conflict. Healthcare workers may experience this as a result of diverse human beliefs, knowledge, values, or emotions. In order to effectively manage and lead the nursing staff in hospitals, a multitasking leader with a wide range of abilities is needed. Multiple elements, such as the leader's personality and overall workplace conditions, might influence effective managerial leadership. Effective management leadership is affected by multiple factors, such as the personality of the leader, the general conditions in the workplace, and the quality characteristics of employees. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict management strategies from the head nurses' perspective. Methods The study utilized a quantitative, cross-sectional correlation design. Twenty-one hospitals in the Aseer region that are affiliated with the Saudi Ministry of Health were included in this study. A non-probability sample consisted of 210 head nurses who have at least one year of experience working as head nurses or with managerial experience. An online questionnaire involving three sections - socio-demographic, trait emotional intelligence, and conflict management - were used. Results The study revealed that the level of emotional intelligence was average and that the level of conflict management strategies was high. Approximately three-quarters of the sample studied were female (78.1%), and for an educational level, the majority of participants had a bachelor's degree (62.4%). Regarding the working departments, 34.3% were in general wards, while 23.3% worked in critical care. Approximately two-thirds (62%) of the sample were married; 63.8% of the participants were Saudi, and 49% had fewer than three children. Also, gender identity and emotional intelligence were significantly correlated statistically. Likewise, the level of monthly income, marital status, and nationality are significantly correlated with conflict management strategies. Conclusions In the current study, emotional intelligence has no statistical correlation with strategies for resolving conflicts. While the relationship between subdomains of both main variables was negative, that ruled out an important positive relationship between cooperation and well-being. Teaching nurse managers about emotional intelligence might help them more effectively handle conflicts at work. Likewise, employing emotional intelligence practices requires nurse managers to lead by example, teaching their teams how to regulate their emotions and resolve frequent workplace conflicts.

Supporting newly qualified nurses to develop their leadership skills

Leadership is not expected solely of managers. At any stage of their career, nurses are expected to be able to demonstrate leadership in their day-to-day role. However, newly qualified nurses, who often experience a challenging transition from nursing student to registered nurse, may lack the confidence to demonstrate leadership. Nurse managers can support junior nurses to develop their leadership skills, notably through training, mentoring, reflection and action learning. By guiding newly qualified nurses in the use of different leadership approaches, experienced nurses can contribute to enhancing the quality of patient care. This article discusses how nurse managers can support newly qualified nurses to develop their leadership skills.

The Impact of a Nursing Emotional Intelligence Program to Improve Patient Satisfaction

Nurses often encounter stressful situations with patients. Inadequate nursing emotional intelligence (EI) can negatively impact patient satisfaction. EI can be utilized in challenging circumstances. A nursing EI program included virtual training, online modules, and journal clubs. A pre-post design utilized the Press Ganey survey to measure patient satisfaction. The Emotional Intelligence Appraisal measured nursing EI scores. Patient satisfaction and nursing EI scores increased, highlighting the significance of providing EI education to nurses.

Psychological coherence, inclusive leadership and implicit absenteeism in obstetrics and gynecology nurses: a multi-site survey

BACKGROUND

Implicit absenteeism is very common among clinical nurses. We aimed to evaluate the role of psychological coherence in the inclusive leadership and implicit absenteeism among obstetrics and gynecology nurses, to provide evidence to the clinical management of nurses.

METHODS

Through the convenience sampling method, a survey of gynecology nurses in tertiary hospitals in 16 cities of Anhui Province, China was conducted using the General Information Questionnaire, the Stanford Implicit Absence Scale, the Inclusive Leadership Scale and the Sense of Coherence Scale. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 20.

RESULTS

A total of 1080 nurses were included with an effective response rate of 93.5%. The average score of nurses' recessive absenteeism in this study was (16.8 ± 0.15). The average of inclusive leadership score was (34.25 ± 7.23). The average score of psychological coherence score of obstetrics and gynecology nurses was (55.79 ± 8.28). Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a relationship between implicit absenteeism behavior, inclusive leadership, and the level of psychological coherence in obstetrics and gynecology nurses (all P < 0.05). Linear regression analysis indicated that psychological coherence played a partial mediating role between inclusive leadership and obstetrics and gynecology nurses' implicit absenteeism (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Obstetrics and gynecology nurses have serious recessive absenteeism with low sense of psychological coherence and inclusive leadership. Nursing managers should improve the psychological coherence through effective interventions, thereby reducing the incidence of implicit absenteeism.

Relationships between leadership orientations and emotional intelligence in nursing students

PURPOSE

To describe the relationship between leadership orientation and emotional intelligence levels of nursing students.

METHOD

The study is a cross-sectional and descriptive correlational study.

RESULTS

This study was carried out with 320 nursing students. There was a positive relationship between the mean scores for the Leadership Orientations subdimensions and the mean scores for the overall Emotional Intelligence Evaluation Scale and its subdimensions.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

More studies are needed to examine the relationship between students' emotional intelligence and leadership orientations.

Emotional Intelligence Scale for Male Nursing Students and Its Latent Regression on Gender and Background Variables

This study aimed to develop an emotional intelligence (EI) scale for male nursing students and investigate its associations with gender, age, religious beliefs, and father’s and mother’s education level. We recruited 384 male nursing students in Taiwan to construct an EI scale comprising 16 items with four factors: recognizing the emotions of others, emotional self-awareness, self-emotional expression, and self-emotional management. The scale had factor loadings of 0.64−0.80. The reliability coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.80 to 0.84, while that for the total scale was 0.93. We also recruited 402 female nursing students for comparison. Latent multiple regression of the EI factors showed that male students had higher self-emotional expression but lower self-emotional management than females. Age was negatively associated with self-emotional management for both genders. Religious beliefs were negatively associated with emotional self-awareness in male students, and with recognizing the emotions of others in females. Father’s and mother’s education had no association with EI in male students; however, father’s education was positively associated with all EI factors in females, and mother’s education was negatively associated with recognizing the emotions of others and self-emotional expression. These results provide insight into male nursing students’ EI and the background variables influencing EI.

Time Management Behaviors and Emotional Intelligence in Head Nurses in Emergency and Intensive Care Units

BACKGROUND

Time management is of particular importance in nursing. One of the most effective variables associated with time management is emotional intelligence (EI). This study assessed the relationship between time management and EI and the level of EI and time management skills in head nurses in emergency and intensive care units.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on all head nurses in the emergency and intensive care units of nine educational hospitals at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran in 2015 using Bradberry-Greaves' EI and Macan's Time Management Questionnaires.

RESULTS

Participants' total time management score was (104.15 ± 6.98); total EI score was (128 ± 15.80). There was no significant relationship between overall EI and time management skills. There was a significant relationship between age and the emotional self-awareness dimension of EI (p = .027) and the mechanics dimension of time management (p = .037), and between work experience and overall time management skills (p = .049) and the mechanics dimension of time management (p = .038).

CONCLUSIONS

Specific EI and time management skills may help head nurses to cope with the challenges they face, which may improve the quality of nursing care. Nursing leaders should consider the importance of time management and EI in increasing motivation and satisfaction of nursing staff and improving quality of care.

The relationship between managers' ideal intelligence as a hybrid model and employees' organizational commitment: a case study in Tehran University of Medical Sciences

High ideal hybrid intelligence of managers is among the factors that can improve employees’ organizational commitment. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between managers’ ideal hybrid intelligence and employees’ organizational commitment in the Vice Chancellors’ Headquarters of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 - 2018. The research sample size consisted of 86 senior and middle-level managers selected through census method, as well as 181 employees, selected using the Kerjecie and Morgan table. The research tool was an ideal hybrid intelligence questionnaire consisting of 102 questions on cultural, moral and spiritual intelligence, and also Meyer and Allens’ organizational commitment questionnaire including 24 questions. Face validity and reliability of each questionnaire were confirmed by an expert panel and Chronbach’s alpha method. The data were analyzed by SPSS software, and descriptive results were shown through mean and standard deviation, and analytical results by inferential tests. The results showed that the ideal hybrid intelligence of the Vice Chancellors’ Headquarters managers and employees’ organizational commitment were at a desirable level. Also, there was a significant correlation between cultural, moral and spiritual intelligence as constituents of the ideal hybrid intelligence of managers and employees’ organizational commitment. We found that ideal hybrid intelligence may affect employees’ organizational commitment, but it should be mentioned that other forms of intelligence may also affect organizational commitment.

Emotional intelligence in nurse managers as it relates to staff nurse job satisfaction and retention: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review was to map what is known about nurse manager emotional intelligence in relation to nurse job satisfaction and retention, and the tools used to measure emotional intelligence in this context.

INTRODUCTION

As the health care environment responds to the demands of high-quality and low-cost care, nurse managers must ensure that patient care environments are safe, efficient, and effective. Understanding nurse manager emotional intelligence may help organizations improve nurse satisfaction and retention as a strategy for reducing costs.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This review considered experimental and quasi-experimental study designs, analytical observational studies, descriptive observational studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, qualitative studies, and text and opinion papers. Studies with staff nurses and experiences working with nurse managers were included. Studies that examined emotional intelligence of nurse managers, in any context, related to staff job satisfaction and retention in nursing and/or that discussed tools used to measure nurse managers' emotional intelligence were considered for inclusion.

METHODS

This review followed JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Key information sources searched included CINAHL (EBSCO), Health and Psychosocial Instruments (EBSCO), Scopus (Elsevier), EBSCO Health Source (EBSCO), JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports (Ovid), ERIC (EBSCO), WorldWideScience (Worldwidescience.com), Wiley Online Library (Onlinelibrary.wiley.com), ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest), MedNar (MedNar.com), Google Scholar (GoogleScholar.com), and ScienceDirect (Elsevier). Studies published in English from 1995 to September 2019 were included in the review. Two independent reviewers assessed titles and abstracts against the inclusion criteria. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved in full and assessed in detail. The data extraction tool was developed by the authors to examine information retrieved.

RESULTS

Eight quantitative studies were included, all from the United States. The studies included 232 nurse manager participants and 3731 staff nurse participants from academic and non-academic hospitals. Seven of the eight studies used the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test to measure nurse manager emotional intelligence, and one study used the Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0. Of the eight included studies, six studies showed no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and nurse job satisfaction and/or retention, one revealed a positive correlation, and one revealed both positive and negative correlations.

CONCLUSIONS

Limited research exists to determine whether nurse manager emotional intelligence plays a role in staff nurse job satisfaction and/or retention. All studies reported a need for further research, as well as the use of differing methodologies and a more diverse nursing population. This review may raise awareness among nurse managers as well as health care organizations about understanding and developing emotional intelligence.

Workload as the most Important Influencing Factor of Medication Errors by Nurses

Background:

This research is motivated by the fact that medication errors are serious threats to the safety of patients in hospitals. Nurses are one of the health workers who play a significant role in preventing these errors.

Objective:

The aim of this quantitative research is to determine the factors that influence the incidence of medication errors by nurses.

Methods:

The adopted method had a correlative descriptive design and used samples obtained from 164 nurses through a purposive sampling technique. The sample inclusion criteria were the nurses who worked in patient’s rooms, those who were healthy and not sick, not currently in school, and were willing to be respondents. Furthermore, the research instruments were questionnaires, which were developed through the Cronbach's alpha validity and reliability test results of 0.681 and 0.873, respectively. Analysis was conducted using the independent t test, X2 (chi-square) and multiple logistic regressions.

Results:

The results showed that the factors which influenced the incidence of medication errors were work experience, motivation, workload, managerial and environmental elements. Moreover, the variable which contributed the most, with a p-value of 0.004 and OR of 5.387 was workload.

Conclusion:

Finally, the following factors, including nurse's workload, motivation, work experience, good managerial management and environmental elements, should be considered when preventing medication errors.

Strengthening nursing, midwifery and allied health professional leadership in the UK – a realist evaluation

Purpose

This paper aims to share the findings of a realist evaluation study that set out to identify how to strengthen nursing, midwifery and allied health professions (NMAHP) leadership across all health-care contexts in the UK conducted between 2018 and 2019. The collaborative research team were from the Universities of Bangor, Ulster, the University of the West of Scotland and Canterbury Christ Church University.

Design/methodology/approach

Realist evaluation and appreciative inquiry were used across three phases of the study. Phase 1 analysed the literature to generate tentative programme theories about what works, tested out in Phase 2 through a national social media Twitter chat and sense-making workshops to help refine the theories in Phase 3. Cross-cutting themes were synthesised into a leadership framework identifying the strategies that work for practitioners in a range of settings and professions based on the context, mechanism and output configuration of realist evaluation. Stakeholders contributed to the ongoing interrogation, analysis and synthesis of project outcomes.

Findings

Five guiding lights of leadership, a metaphor for principles, were generated that enable and strengthen leadership across a range of contexts. – “The Light Between Us as interactions in our relationships”, “Seeing People’s Inner Light”, “Kindling the Spark of light and keeping it glowing”, “Lighting up the known and the yet to be known” and “Constellations of connected stars”.

Research limitations/implications

This study has illuminated the a-theoretical nature of the relationships between contexts, mechanisms and outcomes in the existing leadership literature. There is more scope to develop the tentative programme theories developed in this study with NMAHP leaders in a variety of different contexts. The outcomes of leadership research mostly focussed on staff outcomes and intermediate outcomes that are then linked to ultimate outcomes in both staff and patients (supplemental). More consideration needs to be given to the impact of leadership on patients, carers and their families.

Practical implications

The study has developed additional important resources to enable NMAHP leaders to demonstrate their leadership impact in a range of contexts through the leadership impact self-assessment framework which can be used for 360 feedback in the workplace using the appreciative assessment and reflection tool.

Social implications

Whilst policymakers note the increasing importance of leadership in facilitating the culture change needed to support health and care systems to adopt sustainable change at pace, there is still a prevailing focus on traditional approaches to individual leadership development as opposed to collective leadership across teams, services and systems. If this paper fails to understand how to transform leadership policy and education, then it will be impossible to support the workforce to adapt and flex to the increasingly complex contexts they are working in. This will serve to undermine system integration for health and social care if the capacity and capability for transformation are not attended to. Whilst there are ambitious global plans (WHO, 2015) to enable integrated services to be driven by citizen needs, there is still a considerable void in understanding how to authentically engage with people to ensure the transformation is driven by their needs as opposed to what the authors think they need. There is, therefore, a need for systems leaders with the full skillset required to enable integrated services across place-based systems, particularly clinicians who are able to break down barriers and silo working across boundaries through the credibility, leadership and facilitation expertise they provide.

Originality/value

The realist evaluation with additional synthesis from key stakeholders has provided new knowledge about the principles of effective NMAHP leadership in health and social care, presented in such a way that facilitates the use of the five guiding lights to inform further practice, education, research and policy development.

The Influence of Emotional Intelligence on the Work Engagement of Clinical Leadership: Resilience as a Moderator

This study examined the moderating influence of resilience on the association between emotional intelligence and work engagement in clinical leaders. The study population was leaders working in the emergency wards of some health facilities in Accra. A total of 310 leaders participated in the study by completing a self-reported questionnaire. The analysis of data showed that emotional intelligence makes a positive influence on work engagement in clinical leaders working in emergency departments. The moderating influence of Health facilities can improve work engagement in emergency settings by utilizing training programs to improve both emotional intelligence and resilience.

Effective Peer Leader Attributes for the Promotion of Walking in Older Adults

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Peer-led interventions are promising for the promotion of physical activity behavior in older adults. However, little is known about the attributes of effective older peer leaders in such intervention programs. The objective was to determine what older adults perceive to be effective peer leader attributes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A mixed-methods concurrent triangulation design was used. Participants, aged 60 years and older, were recruited from retirement villages and existing walking groups in Western Australia. They were predominantly white, Australian-born, female, healthy retirees. The sample consisted of four groups of older adults: those who had taken part in past peer-led walking programs (experienced walkers; n = 18), those interested in joining as walkers in a peer-led walking intervention (inexperienced walkers; n = 43), those interested to take on a peer leader role (inexperienced peer leaders; n = 25), and those who had already served as peer leaders (experienced peer leaders; n = 15). Questionnaires measured perceived effective leadership attributes, and physical activity was measured using ActivPAL devices (N = 101; Mage [SD] = 75.36 [7.59]). Semistructured interviews were conducted with the majority of participants (N = 68; Mage [SD] = 74.68 [7.78]).

RESULTS

Overall, participants described an effective peer leader as optimistic, compassionate, and friendly, but differences in perceptions were apparent between the groups.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Our findings advance knowledge about important characteristics of an effective older peer leader, which can inform peer leader training, recruitment of peer leaders, and future scale development.

Nurse Managers Leading the Way: Reenvisioning Stress to Maintain Healthy Work Environments

BACKGROUND

Stress among nurses is well documented, and in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, it has reached record highs.

PROBLEM

Under normal conditions, nurse managers and frontline nurses face stressors that come with the territory of their profession, but the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has greatly added to their burden. Nurse managers are being called not only to help their organizations manage the crisis operationally, but also to help the nurses they supervise mentally, emotionally, and even ethically.

DISCUSSION

This article provides recommendations for how nurse managers can use the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Healthy Work Environment standards and make the experience of stress more productive.

CONCLUSION

Stress comes with the territory in nursing, but nurses can work together to make stress their ally and not their enemy. The real enemies are coronavirus disease 2019, burnout, and the aftermath of uncontrolled stress. When nurses keep stress in perspective and focus on what they can control, they contribute to developing healthier work environments.

Role and application of self-awareness in managerial practice: A qualitative study of nurse managers

AIMS

To explore the nurse managers' perspectives about the role and application of self-awareness in managerial practice.

BACKGROUND

Effectively accomplishing complex roles and maintaining a healthy work environment requires nurse managers to be resilient and sustain positive relationships with nurses and interdisciplinary teams. Self-awareness is an essential attribute for building relationships and creating a healthier work environment.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative design was used. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of ten managers working in two tertiary hospitals. Reflexive thematic analysis was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Four themes were generated: "maximizing potential for overseeing complex management issues; becoming a conscientious and thoughtful manager; using experiential learning for nurturing managerial capabilities; and utilizing self and others' appraisal for discerning practical managerial approaches".

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing self-awareness in complex situations is beneficial for nurse managers. It allows them to overcome negative emotions and factors and incorporate ethical and moral reasoning, thereby preventing them from ineffectual management.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers should focus on assessing their temperaments and managerial abilities in each complex situation. They should use experiential learning from past experiences for discerning effective actions for managing complex situations.

How Do Hospital Medical and Nursing Managers Perceive Work-Related Strain on Their Employees?

Health-oriented supportive leadership behavior is a key factor in reducing work stress and promoting health. Employees in the health sector are subject to a heavy workload, and it has been shown that 40% of them show permanent health problems. A supportive leadership behavior requires the manager's awareness of the employees' well-being. However, little is yet known about how medical and nursing managers perceive the well-being of their staff. To explore this issue, we conducted a total of 37 semi-standardized interviews with 37 chief physicians (CPs), senior physicians (SPs), and senior nurses (SNs) in one German hospital. The interviews were content-analyzed based on the definitions of strain of the 'Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health'. Results show that hospital managers are aware of fatigue and further consequences such as deterioration of the team atmosphere, work ethics, treatment quality, and an increased feeling of injustice among employees. Most managers reported sick leaves as a result of psychosomatic complaints due to the permanent overstrain situation at work in the hospital. Results of this qualitative study are discussed in the light of health-oriented management relating to relevant stress models and to findings concerning staff shortages.