Nursing Leadership in Health Care System: Driving Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63278/jicrcr.vi.857Keywords:
Nursing leadership, patient safety, improvement of quality, transformational leadership, ethical leadership, leadership education, health care systems, professional development, health care transformation, and nurse leaders.Abstract
Nursing leadership goes a long way in determining the approach to improving patient safety and quality improvement in healthcare systems. It also reflects how nursing leaders have played many multi-faceted roles in the transformation of healthcare in an effort to affect changes in patient outcomes, the quality of care, collaboration among healthcare professionals, and professional development. This article, through a critical review of the related literature, identifies 30 studies running from 2010 to 2023, showing the importance of transformational and ethical leadership styles regarding the development of a culture of excellence and accountability. In addition, this paper has identified major challenges that face nurse leaders, including inappropriate staffing, resource limitations, and organizational barriers, and strategies to address these barriers. These findings point out that it is important to incorporate leadership education into nursing curricula, focusing on continuous professional development that equips nurses to become strong leaders with the capacity to manage complex healthcare environments. Nursing leadership is vital in the realization of quality, patient-centered care and in addressing systemic ills that challenge the healthcare system.
