Decisional involvement: staff nurse and nurse manager perceptions

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Enhancing registered nurse (RN) involvement in organizational decisions can improve the work environment, aiding recruitment and retention.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the specific types and levels of decisional involvement nurses desire.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore staff nurse and nurse manager perceptions of actual and preferred decisional involvement.
• To identify differences in these perceptions between staff nurses and nurse managers.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study surveyed 320 RNs from a Midwestern healthcare network.
• The Decisional Involvement Scale (DIS) was used to assess actual and preferred involvement.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant differences were found between nurse managers and staff nurses in perceptions of actual involvement in unit governance, leadership, and collaboration.
• Significant differences in preferred decisional involvement were observed overall and in unit governance, leadership, and quality of support staff practice.

Conclusions:

• Perceptions of decisional involvement differ significantly between staff nurses and nurse managers.
• Addressing these differences is crucial for enhancing the nursing work environment and improving nurse recruitment and retention.