Title: Key factors for effective leadership of nurse managers in geriatric health service facilities
Abstract:
Geriatric Health Service Facilities (GHSFs) have been providing care and rehabilitation to facilitate older adults’ self-reliance in everyday life, performing the role of an intermediary between hospitals and their homes. The number of residents who are especially dependent on medical care has been increasing in GHSFs in recent times, with residents’ needs evolving as well. In order to manage to these changes, nurse managers are expected to assume leadership roles. However, literature related to “empirically based leadership” in the geriatric care field is limited. Tus, the aim of this study to elucidate an effective leadership style of nurse managers in GHSFs. We conducted qualitative exploratory descriptive research with semi-structured interviews. Eight nurse managers of GHSFs were selected by intentional sampling. Interview guides were established by researchers as follows: “What do you think are the basic responsibilities of nurse managers?”, “What is the most important requirement for nurse managers in GHSFs, “Please retrospect and tell us about successful or unsuccessful experiences of demonstrating your management and leadership” and “How do you deal with issues among medical staff?” We reviewed the transcriptions and constructed tables of code categories based on the actual words or phrases (meaning units) followed by independently identified themes that represented one or more code categories and specific quotations that represented each code category. All the interviewees were women, with a mean age of 44.6. Four themes emerged based on the data: vision, autonomous behaviors, respect for personhood, and Leader in the multidisciplinary care team. Nurse Managers in GHSFs are expected to perform more autonomously in practice areas, implementing leadership to establish a suitable work environment for collaboration between nurses and care workers.
Audience Take Away:
- GHSFs need to meet the changing roles and expectations of facilities due to changes in the medical environment, especially the increasing number of residents who depend on medical care.
- Nursing managers are then required to respond flexibly to changes and present a vision for providing the best care.
- The proportion of residents who are highly dependent on medical care and those who are critically ill has increased in GHSFs. Therefore, nurse managers, as leaders, should make autonomous judgements in medical care. The decision-making capability required by nurse managers is greater with an increase in severe cases. Thus, they are expected to be autonomous and make definitive decisions.
- Nurses must discuss residents’ ideal lives with other medical specialists who have different viewpoints, and nurse managers are expected to assume leadership roles that defend the rights of residents in the process.
