The relationship between work complexity and nurses' participation in decision making in hospitals

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between work complexity and nurses' participation in decision making in hospital nursing units.

Increasing nurses' participation in decision making has been used as a way to manage work complexity; however, the work of nurses in acute care hospitals has become highly complex, and strategies used to manage this complexity have not been fully explored.

The relationship between work complexity and nurse participation in decision making was examined using data from the Outcomes Research in Nursing Administration project. The sample included 3,718 RNs in 278 medical-surgical units in 143 hospitals.

When work complexity increased, nurses' participation in decision making decreased.

When nurses have limited input into decision making, the information available to the care team may be incomplete. Barriers to nurses' participation in decision making should be explored and interventions developed so that nurses may be full participants in decision making affecting both patients and the work environment.