BMC Nursing最新文献

Background: As a critical form of proactive behaviors, taking charge plays a central role in facilitating hospitals' improvement and development. Although prior research has extensively examined how to encourage nurses to engage in taking charge, the relationship between the concept of "spirit at work" and taking charge remains insufficiently understood. This study was designed to examine the impact of spiritual leadership on the nurses' taking charge and its internal mechanism.

Methods: Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we developed a moderated mediation model to elucidate how spiritual leadership fosters nurses' taking charge through spiritual well-being, and how this effect is contingent on nurses' pay-for-performance perceptions. We conducted a field study in China to test our theoretical model, with data collected from 353 nurses and 88 head nurses across three different time points. Data analysis was run using descriptive statistics and confirmatory factor analyses. And regression analyses were used to examine the hypotheses.

Results: The regression results revealed that spiritual leadership was positively associated with nurses' taking charge. Spiritual well-being significantly mediated the relationship between spiritual leadership and nurses' taking charge. Moreover, we observed that the indirect effect of spiritual leadership on taking charge through spiritual well-being was stronger for nurses who perceived higher levels of pay-for-performance than for those with lower perceptions.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the essential role of spiritual leadership in promoting nurses' positive psychological states and proactive behaviors. Hospital administrators may consider strengthening head nurses' spiritual leadership to enhance nurses' spiritual well-being and their propensity to take charge. Additionally, implementing performance-based compensation practices can cultivate a climate that reinforces distributive fairness and further encourages proactive behavior.

Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Background: Globally, Public Health Nurses (PHNs) play a central role in disease prevention and health promotion. In Sri Lanka, the PHN service, discontinued in the 1980s, was reintroduced in 2018. However, a standardised framework for defining, implementing, and documenting their roles and services is still lacking, despite record-keeping being vital for evaluating service delivery. This study aimed to describe the duties performed by Sri Lankan PHNs.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the PHNs working in 08 provinces in Sri Lanka during October 2024. Data collection was performed using a pre-tested, validated, self-administered questionnaire, and the results were analysed descriptively.

Results: Of 171 eligible PHNs, 127 responded (74.3%). Within the month, almost all (99.2%) delivered NCD prevention, running 1,183 screening clinics (median 8 per nurse) and registering 10,822 people (median 71 per nurse). In palliative care, 94% conducted 1,518 home visits (median 8), commonly providing catheter care (76.4%), wound care (59.8%), and NG feeding (48.8%). For geriatric services, 74.8% of patients received home-based care (744 visits), and their blood pressure was monitored (1,371 instances) and blood sugar levels checked (1,275 instances). Health promotion was universal, with 85% of the population contributing to mental healthcare. Although 83.5% of PHNs had attended in pain management, only 41.7% assessed pain, and 37.8% administered prescribed analgesics. Disaster management (4.7%) and research engagement (13.4%) were limited. Service volumes varied by district, with higher pain-management activity in Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura. Female PHNs more often attended bereavement sessions and mental healthcare (p = 0.036; p = 0.025), while older age correlated with longer travel for mobile clinics (r_s=0.201) and more elderly home visits (r_s=0.220).

Conclusions: PHNs in Sri Lanka make strong contributions to NCD prevention, health promotion, and palliative care, with additional roles in elderly and mental healthcare. Yet, their involvement in pain management, disaster response, and research remains limited. Clearer role definitions, more PHN recruitments, targeted capacity building, and a workforce need assessment are essential to maximise their impact on community health.