Involvement in health policy and political efficacy among hospital nurses in Jordan: A descriptive survey

Abstract

Aim The aims of this study were to (a) examine the levels of nurses' political efficacy and involvement in health policy; and (b) explore the relationships between political efficacy, involvement in health policy and participants’ background variables. Background Nurses as citizens and health care providers have the right to express their opinions and beliefs in regard to issues that are concerned with the health care system or the public health domain. Methods A descriptive, cross‐sectional design using was utilized. A self‐administered questionnaire (Political Efficacy Scale & Involvement in Health Policy Scale) was completed by a convenience sample of 302 nurses. Results The results of this study showed low levels of involvement in health policy and political efficacy, and a positive weak correlation between political efficacy and involvement in health policy. The perceived level of political efficacy was associated positively with nurses’ age and experience. Conclusions Nurse administrators and managers may empower, support and encourage nurses to enhance their involvement in health policy. Implications for nursing management The findings have implications for nursing leaders and administrators to design appropriate strategies to enhance nurses’ involvement in health policy development.

Participation of nurse managers in the health policy process: a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators

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Political power and awareness of nursing during the COVID‐19 pandemic from the views of senior nursing students

“…Studies have shown that the perceived level of political activity and participation in health policy is low among nurses and only moderate involvement to participate in health policy making (AbuAlRub & Abdulnabi, 2020; Safari et al, 2020). This passiveness of nurses is based on complex reasons such as the fact that they cannot freely express their thoughts, lack of time, political ignorance, disappointment in the work procedure, lack of external support, lack of access to key figures, diverging values or attitudes of policy makers, lack of financial support or other resources, etc.…”

Nurses’ and midwives’ perspectives on participation in national policy development, review and reforms in Ghana: a qualitative study

“…The consistent presence of nurses even across the hard to reach facilities allows them to have firsthand information on the challenges faced by clients within health facilities, making their participation in policy development and review crucial. In some high income nations, nurses can directly influence the development of policies [3], unfortunately, this scarcely occurs in the context of low and middle income nations [4].…”