The relationship between nurse manager’s behavior and staff nurses autonomy

Background Nurse managers have a direct contact with staff nurses; therefore, they have the ability to influence nurses’ autonomy. Nurses’ practice needs autonomy to become powerful because it is noticed that nurses need to take more accurate and urgent decisions in their work. One of the major responsibilities of nurse managers is to support staff nurses to promote their autonomy by improving their skills, abilities, and practices that preserve their autonomy. Aim To examine the relationship between nurse manager behavior and staff nurses’ autonomy. Design A descriptive correlational design was utilized to collect data. Sample A convenient sample of staff nurses (211) working in the selected units during the time of data collection. Setting The study conducted at Cairo University Hospital and at New Kasr Einy Hospital. Tools Data were collected by using two tools. (a) The first tool was nurse manager’s behaviors in five dimensions. (b) The second tool was staff nurses’ autonomy tool in two dimensions. Results Research declared a statistically significant positive correlation between nurse managers’ behavior and staff nurses’ autonomy. Moreover, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between all dimensions of nurse manager’s behavior and staff nurses’ autonomy. Conclusion Supportive nurse manager’s behavior perception is an underlying factor of staff nurses’ autonomy. Recommendations Improving staff nurses’ autonomy should be emphasized through policy. Further researches are needed to examine the barriers that nurses face in relation to unit operational decisions. A training program should be provided for nurse managers about supportive behaviors.