Influence of nurse leaders on professional practice environment

Editor's Note

Nurse leaders are integral in enhancing professional practice environments, and their influence links structures necessary for an environment that supports outcomes, this study finds.

In this analysis of 30 nurse leaders and 169 clinical nurses at a 247-bed acute care Magnet hospital, leaders perceived their influence from “often” to “always,” with mean scores of 3.02 to 3.70 on a 4-point Likert Scale.

Clinical nurses reported more positive perceptions in adequacy of staffing, when nurse leaders perceived themselves to be more influential.

Relationships also were seen between the outcome measure, nurse-assessed quality of patient care, and nurse leaders’ positive perceptions of their authority.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between leaders' perceived influence over professional practice environments (PPEs) and clinical nurses' reported engagement in essential professional nursing practice. BACKGROUND: There is little empirical evidence identifying impact of nurse leader influence or why nursing leaders are not perceived, nor do they perceive themselves, as influential in healthcare decision making.