Factors Facilitate Head Nurses’ Policy Development and Autonomy in Decision Making

Abstract

Background: Creating a participative work environment for the professional nurses is an exciting organizational strategy that fostering the autonomous decision making, reducing job burnout and dissatisfaction in healthcare settings. Aim of the study: to assess factors facilitate head nurses’ policy development and autonomy in decision making Design: descriptive, comparative design was used to fulfill this study. Setting: in International Teaching Hospital affiliated to Tanta University Hospital and El-Menshawy Hospital affiliated to Ministry of Health in Tanta. Sample: The sample size integrated all available nurse leaders in International Teaching and El-Menshawy Hospitals estimated 350 head nurses. Tools of data collection: An structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the present study consists of two tools likert type rating scale, tool 1: Factors that act as facilitators to nurse leaders participation in health policy development scale, tool 2: Nurse leaders autonomy scale Results: Factors of involvement, knowledge and skills, support, image of nursing, enabling structures and available resources were identified as a high facilitators for head nurses participation in health policy development process in El – Menshawy hospital 87.00% and in the teaching hospital 98.00% , the head nurses perceived high autonomy related to their unit operations decisions 88.00% and patient care decisions 94.00% in the teaching hospital while moderate in El – Menshawy hospital, there was a positive relationship between factors that facilitate the nurse leaders’ participation in health policy development and their autonomy in decision making related to patient care decisions in both hospitals. Conclusion: Factors that facilitate head nurses participation in health policy development process were high in both hospitals, the head nurses perceived high autonomy related to their unit operations decisions and patient care decisions in the teaching hospital while moderate in El – Menshawy hospital, there was a positive relationship between factors that facilitate the nurse leaders’ participation in health policy development and their autonomy in decision making related to patient care decisions in both hospitals Recommendations: Support participative decision making through minimizes bureaucratic management style and facilitate upstream communication and empower involvement of nurse leaders on organizational committees and workgroups.