Concept, Influencing Factors, and Interventions of Nursing Health Leadership: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: With increasing burnout and turnover rates among nurses, health leadership can effectively improve the health and well-being of both leaders and staff. However, in the nursing field, the definition and mechanisms of health leadership remain unclear and require further research.

Aim: The main objective of this study was to define the concept of health leadership in nursing, construct a nursing model program, and promote the formation of normative nursing health leadership theories and strategies.

Evaluation: We searched the PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases. The following themes were extracted from the included articles: the concept, assessment tools for health leadership, influencing factors, intervention measures, and health effects.

Key Issues: A systematic search of the relevant databases yielded 3161 initial search results. Thirty-two studies were eligible for inclusion. Research shows that the concepts and measurement tools of health leadership are rarely applied in the field of nursing. Health leadership is influenced by personal factors (e.g., leadership qualities such as care, support, courage, patience, tolerance for uncertainty, persuasion skills, work ethic, pressure, experience, effort–reward imbalance, etc.; specific knowledge; self-awareness; psychological capital; leadership style; motivation; consideration; and a commitment to health issues) and organizational factors (e.g., work environment, attention to subordinates, job expectations, and relationship transparency). Several studies have demonstrated that interventions, such as personal development planning, leadership training, face-to-face communication, self-directed learning, and reflection, are effective in promoting healthy leadership styles and improving the well-being of leaders and employees.

Conclusions: We constructed a health leadership model as a reference for the development of relevant measurement tools and intervention strategies for the nursing field.

Implications for Nursing Management: Nursing leaders should focus on their health and that of their subordinates, develop and implement health leadership, and aim for improvement in employees’ well-being and nursing quality.