Nurse Leader Well-Being in the United States: An Integrative Review

Nurse leaders are essential to safe, high-quality patient care, yet they face significant challenges, including physical and emotional health issues, high stress, and poor work-life balance. These challenges may compromise their ability to lead effectively. A better understanding of how well-being can be promoted among nurse leaders and the knowledge gaps within this literature is needed.

This integrative review was guided by Whittemore and Knafl's five-step framework. Peer-reviewed articles were identified through PubMed, Scopus, and Academic Search Premier. Studies were screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and included if they examined well-being among hospital-based nurse leaders in the United States. Data were extracted and synthesized to identify common themes and gaps.

Fifteen U.S. studies published between 2013 and 2023 met inclusion criteria. Nurse leader demographics, personal qualities, and workplace resources emerged as key facilitators for well-being. Gaps in knowledge extended across research methodology and well-being conceptualization and measurement.

Future research should prioritize a greater emphasis on the relationship between leader well-being and patient outcomes, consistent measurement of well-being, with greater focus on organizational-level interventions. Strengthening nurse leader well-being may have important implications for workforce stability, leadership effectiveness, and patient care quality.Applications to Practice:These findings may inform strategies to strengthen nurse leader well-being, an essential foundation for effective leadership, workforce stability, improved patient care delivery, and healthier work environments.