Abstract
PURPOSE
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which nursing leadership, perceived by nursing staff, influences nursing quality.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH
Data were collected between August and October 2011 in a Portuguese health center via a questionnaire completed by nurses. Our original sample included 283 employees; 184 questionnaires were received (65% response).
FINDINGS
The theoretical model presents reasonably satisfactory fit indices (values above literature reference). Path analysis between latent constructs clearly suggests that nursing leadership has a direct (beta = 0.724) and statistically significant (p = 0.007) effect on nursing quality.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE
Results reinforce several ideas propagated throughout the literature, which suggests the relationship's relevance, but lacks empirical support, which this study corrects.
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