Nurses' Perception toward Shared Governance in Clinical Practice at General Hospitals in Jeddah City.

Abstract

Context: Shared governance is an evidence-based approach. The characteristics of the work environment of shared governance are autonomous and empowering, where nurses providing direct care have a voice in influencing areas that have been controlled previously by the managers. Shared governance structure aims to improve communication, increases personal growth and nurse satisfaction, and improves patient outcomes.

Aim: To assess nurses' perception toward shared governance at general hospitals in Jeddah city.              

Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted. The study was carried out at three general ministry of health hospitals in Jeddah city. The study sample involved 321 registered nurses using stratified random sampling. The data were collected by using one tool. The index of the Professional Nursing Governance (IPNG) tool was used to measure the nurses' perceptions of governance.

Results: The overall mean score of nurses' perceptions toward shared governance was 118.70±40.85, which scored within the shared governance range. The highest mean score was Resources subscale with 24.74±7.75, while the Goals subscale had the lowest mean score (12.54±5.12). Statically significant differences were found in nurses' perceptions toward shared governance according to their educational degree, current position title, and the working unit at p-value ≤ 0.05.

Conclusion: This study has shown that nurses perceived the governance in the first level of shared governance, which indicates that the decision is made primarily by management with some staff input. Therefore, continuous education and training are needed for nurses to increase their knowledge about shared governance, conflict management, and decision-making skills.