Nurse leadership practices during the Covid-19 pandemic in university hospitals

• Published in: Revista Gaúcha de Enfermagem 2024, Vol.45
• Main Authors: Silveira, Vitória Carolina, Cechinel-Peiter, Caroline, Santos, José Luís Guedes dos, Varanda, Patrícia Alves Galhardo, Silva, Gilberto Tadeu Reis da, Lanzoni, Gabriela Marcellino de Melo
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; por
• Subjects: COVID-19; Health Management; Leadership; Nursing; University Hospitals
• ISSN: 0102-6933; 1983-1447
• DOI: 10.1590/1983-1447.2024.20230289.en

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the leadership practices among nurses in face of COVID-19 pandemic in university hospitals in Brazil. Method: this is a multicenter, qualitative and exploratory-descriptive research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 139 nurses who worked in the care for patients with COVID-19 in Brazilian university hospitals. Thematic content analysis was carried out with support of Iramuteq® software. Results: Three categories were obtained: 1) Leadership practices with individual emphasis, highlighting decision-making agility and technical-scientific knowledge as relevant elements for professional performance; 2) Leadership practices with emphasis on the team and direct care for critical patients, presents the challenges faced in managing human resources amidst a high number of infections and professional absences; and 3) Leadership practices with emphasis on Safety and material management, presenting strategies to enhance patient and professional safety despite difficulties related to the supply of materials. Conclusion: leadership practices such as adaptive capacity, transmission of trust in the leader, collaborative decision-making, encouraging team development, management of human and material resources, and effective communication allowed nurses to cope with the critical moments of the pandemic. RESUMEN Objetivo: este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar las prácticas de liderazgo entre enfermeros frente a la pandemia de Covid-19 en hospitales universitarios de Brasil. Método: investigación multi sitio, cualitativa, de tipo exploratorio-descriptivo, a partir de entrevistas individuales semiestructuradas aplicadas a 139 enfermeros que actuaban en el cuidado de pacientes con Covid-19 em diez hospitales universitarios brasileños. Análisis de contenido temático realizado con ayuda del software Iramuteq®. Resultados: se encontraron tres categorías: 1) Prácticas de liderazgo con énfasis individual, que presentan la disposición en el proceso de toma de decisiones y el conocimiento científico como elementos importantes para sustentar un alto desempeño profesional; 2) Prácticas de liderazgo con énfasis en el equipo y atención directa al paciente crítico, lo que presenta desafíos para la gestión de recursos humanos, considerando la alta incidencia de infección entre los profesionales; y 3) Prácticas de liderazgo con énfasis en seguridad y gestión de materiales, con estrategias para mejorar la seguridad del paciente y del profesion