Journal of Nursing Management

Introduction. The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to various challenges for healthcare workers, including nurses. Nurses play a critical role in the fight against this disease, and their communication of self-efficacy and job satisfaction has garnered significant attention. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction of Iranian nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. This study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. A total of 500 nurses working in hospitals in Iran were selected using a convenience sampling method. The communication self-efficacy scale and the job satisfaction scale were used to collect data. Results. The study found that nurses with higher communication self-efficacy exhibited better performance and job satisfaction in various work challenges (r = 0.56, ). However, nurses holding a master’s degree or higher reported the lowest average communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction scores during the COVID-19 epidemic. The study also explored the impact of shift work on job satisfaction among nurses and found that nurses working exclusively on the morning shift reported the highest average job satisfaction score. Conclusion. The findings of this study suggest that communication self-efficacy is an important factor in predicting job satisfaction among Iranian nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is recommended that healthcare organizations provide effective communication training sessions and mental health interventions to enhance nurses’ communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction. This can ultimately lead to improved performance and better patient outcomes.

Introduction. Little is known about how shifting hospital visitor restrictions issued by national health authorities were communicated, managed, and adapted by hospital charge nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims. To describe the shifting visitor restrictions and the passing on of restrictions from the national authority level to charge nurses and secondly describe charge nurses’ management of the restrictions and their challenges when enforcing them. Methods. The study consisted of a document analysis and a cross-sectional survey including open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used. The survey was distributed online to 88 charge nurses in somatic units in a Danish university hospital from March 2020 to April 2021. Results. Restrictions were communicated from national authority level in an effective administrative cascade. The charge nurses led their enforcement in each unit. In total, 71 charge nurses (81%) responded to the survey. For 70%, the wording of the restrictions was clear, while 31% found them challenging to handle. On a weekly or daily basis, 68% of the charge nurses deviated from the restrictions. They identified both upsides and downsides to the absence of relatives. Communication, collaboration, and leadership were experienced as key tools in the ongoing processes of adapting to shifting restrictions. Conclusion. During this severe health crisis, essential information was passed on through well-defined management levels in an effective communication pathway. Charge nurses and their professional values were challenged when balancing shifting national restrictions against individual needs of patients and relatives. Implications for Nursing Management. Charge nurses serve as vital intermediaries between national authorities and frontline nursing practice in managing shifting visitor restrictions during a pandemic. Their experiences can contribute to further qualifying nurse managers’ considerations when designing family-centred hospital visitor policies for the future. Also, they may strengthen the handling of future sudden major organizational changes.

Purpose. Healthcare organisations need to define the role of the nurse manager in light of recent global health developments. For this purpose, several core competencies essential for each hierarchical management level need to be assessed. Different measurement instruments have been developed to assess nurse managers’ competencies. This systematic review summarises the characteristics and psychometric properties of existing instruments measuring first-, middle-, and top-level nurse managers’ competencies. Methods. Following PRISMA guidelines for reporting and COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines, 789 articles were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and APA PsycINFO databases with no time limitation. The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023425854). Results. Ten tools were identified, assessing one or more competencies among nurse managers: Competency Elements for Nurse Managers of Tertiary General Hospitals, NICA-NL, HCCI, I-FLNMMCS, NMCI, Chase Nurse Manager Competency Questionnaire, CASHN, Questionnaire for Head Nurses’ Managerial Competencies, Nurse Manager EBP Competency Scale, and the Home Healthcare Nurse Manager Assessment Tool. Conclusion. Following the COSMIN assessment, the Chase Nurse Manager Competency Instrument was the most comprehensive among the included instruments, and the CASHN questionnaire scored highest on methodological quality and level of evidence. These instruments can be used in clinical practice to evaluate competencies and as a basis for developing managerial training courses.

Aim. To systematically map and identify key knowledge on organizational support for nurses’ career planning and development. Design. Scoping review. Methods. Systematic electronic searches were carried out with the CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases in May 2022. The searches were limited to scientific, peer-review papers that were published in English from January 2012 to May 2022. Data were extracted and synthetized and are presented in tables and text. The review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results. We identified 1,400 papers and 28 met the inclusion criteria. Organizations recognized nurses’ career planning and development in relation to the individual’s professional development and the organization’s need to promote high-quality services and workforce engagement. The organizational support included strategic work to ensure there were adequate resources and purposeful vacancies and a structured framework based on objective qualification criteria and equal assessment. Organizations focused on sharing knowledge, structured career planning, and interpersonal support. Support within the nursing profession and multilayered interprofessional collaboration were also important. Conclusion. Nurses’ career planning and development was linked to their personal development and the organization’s aims and required support from both fellow nurses and other professionals. Implications for the Nursing Management. Identifying the organizational structures and methods that are needed to support nurses’ career planning and development can help nursing management to evaluate and develop strategies that improve the attractiveness of a nursing career and nurses’ engagement.

Aim. To explore and describe intensive care professional nurses’ experiences caring for COVID-19 patients in private hospitals in Gauteng, South Africa. Introduction. Pandemics are unique forms of disasters characterised by adverse psychological symptoms and behaviours. Literature confirms a globally increased workload during pandemics, causing emotional exhaustion and poor concentration among healthcare workers. Moreover, high mortality rates are mentioned as a cause of moral distress and moral injury to healthcare workers. South Africa was unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by overcrowded hospitals, a lack of resources, and high mortality rates. Materials and Methods. A qualitative, phenomenological, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research design was used. The five largest private hospitals from the same hospital group in Gauteng were chosen as they were admitting many COVID-19 patients. Fifteen participants were selected through purposeful sampling. Semistructured, in-depth, individual interviews were conducted and audio-recorded, and field notes were taken from April 2022 to December 2022. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Giorgi’s approach. Results. Three themes emerged: abrupt transition from normality to the COVID-19 pandemic; experienced isolation from family, community, and nursing management; and feelings of satisfaction and gratitude for teamwork and learning. Conclusions. It is essential for nurses’ holistic care to be considered along with patients’ holistic care. The findings in this study could drive healthcare institutions in South Africa to respond to nurses’ health, care, and support needs. Implication for Nursing Management. Nursing management should consider shorter and fewer consecutive workdays for nurses to rest and restore their energy levels. Nurse management should also provide human caring by being visible to the nurses and communicating with them. Holistic self-care practices should be included in nurses’ in-service training programmes.

Aims. This umbrella review aims to comprehensively synthesize and analyze the findings of available systematic reviews on the effectiveness of individual-based strategies for reducing nurse burnout occurring in hospital-based settings. Methods. Following JBI guidelines, an umbrella review was conducted to integrate the effectiveness of various strategies to reduce burnout. Systematic reviews were searched in the Embase, MEDLINE (Ovid), Cochrane Library, CINAHL (EBSCO), Scopus, and WOS databases. Inclusion criteria included studies published in any language from database inception to April 2023. Eligibility assessment involved two independent reviewers who evaluated titles, abstracts, and full texts. The systematic reviews were critically evaluated using JBI SUMARI. The results were narratively synthesized and grouped by strategy. Results. Eleven systematic reviews were included, covering the years 2012 to 2021. The appraisal tools varied, though all included reviews were of high quality. The strategies were categorized into three domains: mental health (51%), physical activities (26%), and professional competence (13%). The interventions most identified were mindfulness-based stress reduction for mental health, yoga for physical activities, and professional competence education. These individual-based strategies were shown to effectively eliminate emotional exhaustion (72.7%), depersonalization (44%), and occupational stress (78%) among nurses in hospital-based settings. Conclusion. Mental health, physical activities, and professional competence are strategies to reduce nurse burnout. Implementing these approaches in healthcare settings can improve emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and occupational stress of nurses.