Impact of a leadership training programme on nursing leadership, self-efficacy and competency among ICU clinical...

Recent trends emphasise the importance of the nursing leadership in China and globally. However, research pertaining to nursing leadership interventions targeted at clinical nurses remains sparse in China.

This study evaluated the impact of a leadership training programme on the nursing leadership, self-efficacy, and competency of clinical nurses working in intensive care units (ICU).

A prospective, parallel-group quasi-experimental design was used. Thirty-five clinical nurses with the average age of 33.8 years from the ICUs of two tertiary comprehensive teaching hospitals were enrolled with 17 in the intervention group and 18 in the control group. The intervention group participants underwent an eight-session training programme tailored to clinical nurses. Each session lasted 60-90 min and focused on teambuilding, leadership and management skills, missions and goals, organisational culture and climate, emotional intelligence, communication skills, and implementing changes. The Nursing Leadership Scale, ICU Competency Self-assessment Questionnaire and General Self-efficacy Scale were used for pre-test and post-test evaluations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants to complement quantitative measures. Data analyses were performed using thematic analyses.

Significant positive changes were observed in the dimensions of nursing leadership: organisational, planning, interpersonal, and communication skills (P < 0.05). Intervention groups participants also scored higher on self-efficacy and ICU competencies than did controls (P < 0.05). Semi-structured interviews identified three themes: a broader understanding of nursing leadership, changes in personal thoughts and behaviour, and existing obstacles and expectations for future training.

The targeted training programme effectively improved the leadership, self-efficacy, and competency of ICU clinical nurses.

This study contributes to the existing literature by focusing on the development of clinical leadership among ICU nurses and by providing valuable support for nurse administrators to implement effective leadership education on a larger scale.

Not applicable.