Nursing leadership styles and their impact on intensive care unit quality measures: An integrative review

Abstract

Aim To examine the impact of nursing leadership styles on intensive care unit quality measures. Background Evidence on the impact of leadership styles has direct implications for building and strengthening leadership behaviours that foster quality nursing care in intensive care units. Evaluation An integrative review approach was adopted. Databases including the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library were searched. Key issues(s) Out of 253 identified studies, seven were included in the review. Leadership styles in intensive care units include transformational, considerate, exemplary, trusted and absentee leadership. Active nurse leaders who share a common vision, and advocate for their staff are perceived as more effective than those who exhibit absentee characteristics. Structural measures influenced by leadership styles include productivity and morale of nursing staff. Outcome measures such as staff outcomes (intent to stay, job satisfaction), medication errors and periventricular/intraventricular haemorrhage in neonatal intensive care units have a positive relational effect with nursing leadership style. Conclusions The findings highlight the link between nursing leadership styles on structural and outcome measures in intensive care units. The current literature lacks studies highlighting the impact of nursing leadership styles on process measures in intensive care units. Implications for nursing management Transformational, considerate, exemplary leadership practices, and trusted leadership styles when used by nurse leaders guarantee higher quality of nursing care in intensive care units. Therefore, modern leadership styles need to be supported by health care organisations and education.

Value of Intensive Nursing Detail Management in Intensive Care Unit Nursing

“…ICUs provide simultaneous treatment, care, and rehabilitation of critically ill patients to obtain positive lifesaving outcomes [ 12 ]. Nursing care in the intensive care unit should be scientific, effective, comprehensive, and systematic, with high requirements for nursing details [ 13 , 14 ] to efficiently avoid nursing accidents and enhance patient satisfaction, thereby reducing various medical disputes [ 15 ]. Clinical practice has confirmed [ 16 ] that the application of enhanced detail management in intensive care unit nursing could achieve satisfactory nursing outcomes and significantly reduce nursing accidents in clinical settings.…”

Exploring Nurses’ Perceptions of Medication Error Risk Factors: Findings From a Sequential Qualitative Study

“…The importance of leadership and the commitment of managers toward safety is crucial for addressing these safety obstacles ( Kiwanuka et al, 2021 ; Stewart et al, 2020 ). In this study, participants described linkages between a perceived lack of leadership and MAEs.…”

“…In this study, participants described linkages between a perceived lack of leadership and MAEs. The nurses’ suggestion that effective leadership is needed to fully integrate safety strategic objectives into all of an organization’s systems to address system failures and promote a positive safety culture is supported by others ( Kiwanuka et al, 2021 ; Stewart et al, 2020 ).…”

Causesof Medication Error in Nursing

“…Nursing leadership can have an essential effect on patient care and can promote nursing personnel wellbeing and enforce new strategies and policies to improve workflow in healthcare systems (Cummings et al, 2018). In healthcare organizations, leadership styles can, directly and indirectly impact quality measures ( Kiwanuka et al, 2021). Wong et al (2013) indicated an association between leadership and patient mortality.…”