Impact of authentic leadership on nurses' well-being and quality of care in the acute care settings

Introduction

Both nurses' well-being and quality of care are top priorities of the healthcare system. Yet, there is still a gap in understanding the extent and how authentic leadership influences them. This information is needed to inform the development of effective interventions, organizational practices, and policies. Thus, this study aimed to test the mechanism by which nurses' perception of their managers' authentic leadership impacts nurses' well-being and perception of quality of care, given the role of the nursing practice environment and nurses' psychological capital.

Design

A cross-sectional design was used.

Methods

This study recruited a random sample of 680 nurses from six hospitals in Saudi Arabia. A final sample of 415 completed the surveys, with a response rate of 61%. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypothesized model.

Results

The study showed that nurses' perceptions of authentic leadership in their managers positively and directly affect their perceptions of quality of care but do not directly affect nurses' well-being. Both the nursing practice environment and psychological capital fully mediated the relationship between authentic leadership and nurses' well-being. However, the nursing practice environment partially mediated the relationship between authentic leadership and perceptions of quality of care.

Conclusion

The findings contribute to understanding the crucial role of authentic leaders' style in nurses' well-being and quality of care through its positive impact on the nursing practice environment and psychological capital.

Clinical Relevance

Designing interventions and policies that specifically target nursing managers' authentic leadership style has implications for enhancing nurses' well-being and the quality of patient care. Institutional measures are needed to help leaders practice an authentic leadership style to create a positive nursing practice environment and cultivate nurses' psychological capital, both of which contribute to nurses' well-being and attaining a better quality of care. Further work is required to highlight the outcomes of implementing an authentic leadership style relevant to other leadership styles.