The Perception of Nursing Leaders towards Communication and Relationship Management Competencies while using Digital Platforms during COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate nursing leaders' perception towards communication and relationship management competencies while using digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: Communication and relationship management competencies among nursing leaders will ensure healthcare models are successfully implemented. Nursing leaders can achieve effective leadership by mastering these competencies leading to an overall improvement in the quality of nursing care. However, digital platforms have been rapidly evolving in the healthcare ecosystem and have been significant during the battle with COVID-19. It is crucial to ensure that nursing leaders can use digital platforms to communicate and practice efficient management in their op-erations, especially during a crisis when their services are vital. Design: Descriptive, comparative study. Methods: The study was conducted between February to March 2021. A 5-item Linkert-type questionnaire was adopted from the American Organization for Nursing Executives (2005) and was sent to identified nursing leaders in Hamad Medical Corporation through the official email. Results: Two hundred fifty nurse leaders were invited to participate, but only 116 responded positively, translating to a response rate of 46.4%. The male participants represented a larger proportion of 64.10%, while the female was 35.90%. Regarding the questionnaire, the Cronbach alpha was α ˃ 0.987, indicating that all items revealed a sufficient level of internal consistency. The respondents had a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 52.6n in the communication and relationship management items. Influencing behavior, relationship management, and effective communica-tion had the lowest scores, which indicate low competency. The F value in ANOVA analysis was close to 1.0, implying that the null hypothesis is true. The significance value is <0.5 implying that there is a difference in response on effective communication proficiency of nurse leaders. Conclusions: Digital platforms are communication tools that are widely adopted to engage and reach nurses on numerous topics. Nurse leaders should capitalize on their benefits and generate critical discussions. The continued need to research nursing leadership competencies is critical as healthcare continues to change and evolve. Educational institutions and healthcare organizations must understand that nursing leaders should strive for professional development and knowledge acquisition to improve their communication and management.

Competencies of Nurse Managers as Predictors of Staff Nurses’ Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention

“…To ensure team effectiveness, the initial effort should be to understand the views and needs of staff nurses, and to develop a clear and transparent chain of command and an open, two-way system of communication with them [ 6 , 38 ]. During periods of crisis and rapid changes, other than face-to-face interactions, nurse leaders may adopt digital platforms such as webinars and virtual meetings to share information and to network and exchange ideas with others during the pandemic [ 38 , 49 ]. Regarding the role of nurse managers in advocating for the interest of staff nurses, it should be noted that staff advocacy cannot be achieved without understanding matters of concern to nurses.…”