Comparing shared governance and psychological empowerment among nurses in Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals

Globally, the nursing industry has never been watered down by challenges related to burnout, job satisfaction and high turnover rates. Healthcare organizations progressively employ strategies to improve nurse engagement in the decision making in the organization. One of these strategies is the Magnet recognition Program established by the American Nurses Credentialing Center which recognizes the institutions that exhibits excellence in the nursing practice and leadership. Despite these recognitions, there is scarcity of research that examined the association of Magnet recognition to the psychological empowerment of the staff compared to non-Magnet hospitals. The finding of this study may contribute insights for the hospital administrators and nursing leaders in strengthening nurses' involvement in decision making within the organization, specifically supporting the Saudi Vision 2030 through healthcare transformation. This descriptive cross-sectional study research design explored perceived level of shared governance and psychological empowerment among nurses from Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals, as well as the differences between variables. A survey was conducted between March 2026-April 2026. at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) and King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAAUH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Convenience sampling will be used to recruit participants. Using the Index of Professional Nursing Governance (IPNG) Tool 3.0 and Psychological Empowerment Indicator (PEI), it was revealed that there was significant difference between the perceived level of shared governance among nurses in the Magnet and non-Magnet hospital. However, an absence in significant difference was noted in terms of psychological empowerment. In conclusion, the findings of this study implies that there is a need to foster a shared governance that improves the involvement of nurses in the organization's decision-making and continue practicing empowerment strategies.