Implementation Leadership in the Point of Care Nursing Context: A Systematic Review Comparing Two Measurement Tools.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Implementation leadership (IL) behaviors are vital for integrating evidence-based practices (EBPs) at the point of care (POC).
• A lack of systematically evaluated and validated IL tools for nursing contexts has been identified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and compare two IL measurement tools: the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) and iLEAD.
• To critically appraise the methodological quality of studies assessing the psychometric properties of these IL tools in nursing.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive systematic search of four databases was conducted.
• Independent screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal by two reviewers and statisticians.
• Findings were summarized using a narrative approach.

Main Results:

• Ten studies evaluated the ILS (various versions) and one evaluated iLEAD; three studies assessed ILS psychometric properties in nursing.
• Content validity was questionable for both tools, though ILS showed adequate comprehensiveness.
• Methodological quality was generally good for structural validity, internal consistency, hypothesis testing, and responsiveness, with mixed results for cross-cultural validity.

Conclusions:

• Validated, contextually relevant IL tools are needed to assess nursing leadership capacity for EBP implementation.
• The ILS demonstrates potential but requires further validation, particularly for diverse nursing leadership teams at the POC.
• Feasibility of IL tools in real-world nursing settings requires further investigation.