Attributes of clinical leadership in contemporary nursing: An integrative review

Abstract

Effective clinical leadership is offered as the key to healthy, functional and supportive work environments for nurses and other health professionals. However, as a concept it lacks a standard definition and is poorly understood. This paper reports on an integrative review undertaken to uncover current understandings of defining attributes of contemporary clinical leadership in nursing. Data collection involved a search of relevant electronic databases for a 10-year period. Keywords for the search were 'clinical leadership' and 'nursing'. Ten research papers met the inclusion criteria for the integrative review. Analysis of these studies indicated clinical leadership attributes had a clinical focus, a follower/team focus or a personal qualities focus; attributes necessary to sustain supportive workplaces and build the capacity and resilience of nursing workforces. The small number of research-based studies yielded for the review indicates the need for further research in the area of clinical leadership.

Redefining clinical leadership for team-course development

“…In the review of Mannix et al it is demonstrated that definitions of CL have a clinical focus, a follower/team focus or a personal qualities focus. [15] Most CL characteristics include attributes reflecting technical and practical skills necessary for competent clinical practice and leading a team. Howieson and Thiagarajah [63] found that most literature is centered on recommended leadership behaviour, traits and competencies.…”

“…Lacking a standard definition, CL is generally poorly understood. [15] Nevertheless it is a much used term. The National Health Service in Scotland [16] refers to CL within a clinical domain and describes CL in terms of driving service improvement and effective management of teams to provide excellence in patient care.…”

Impact of clinical leadership in teams’ course on quality, efficiency, responsiveness and trust in the emergency department: study protocol of a trailing research study

“…2 Effective CL is a prerequisite for understanding the complex system of care for the benefit of patients and ensuring healthy workplaces 34 Conversely, ineffective CL has a negative impact on the healthcare workers and standard of care and can lead to adverse events 45 There is a need to compensate for the absence of the conventional mentor-to-apprentice transfer of CL knowledge and skills.…”

“…Previous CL programmes have demonstrated development of self-reported and observer-reported behaviours of CL competencies,14 improved safety and quality of care,11 development of individual skills and influence on workplace culture 1516 The training programmes have centred on leadership behaviours/traits and competencies; however, evidence of the impact of such programmes on the operational level is scarce 417…”

“…A review presents a definition of CL that emphasises attributes such as a drive towards improved service and management of teams to provide excellence in patient care 17. In Mannix et al ,4 only two studies have developed a definition of CL from their respective findings. One of the studies20 refers to Harper,21 who describes a clinical leader as one who possesses clinical expertise in a specialty practice area and who uses interpersonal skills to enable nurses and other healthcare providers to deliver quality patient care.…”