Leading Quality and Safety on the Frontline – A Case Study of Department Leaders in Nursing Homes

Magerøy, Malin Rosell; Sverre Braut, Geir; Macrae, Carl; Clay-Williams, Robyn; Braithwaite, Jeffrey; Wiig, Siri

Abstract

Purpose: The role of healthcare leaders is becoming increasingly complex, and carries great responsibility for patients, employees, and the quality of service delivery. This study explored the barriers and enablers that department leaders in nursing homes encounter when managing the dual responsibilities in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and Quality and Patient Safety (QPS). Methodology: Case study design with data collected through semi structured interviews with 16 department leaders in five Norwegian municipalities. We analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis. Results: Data analysis resulted in four themes explaining what department leaders in nursing homes experience as barriers and enablers when handling the dual responsibility of HSE and QPS: Temporal capacity: The importance of having enough time to create a health-promoting work environment that ensures patient safety. Relational capacity: Relationships have an impact on work process and outcomes. Professional competence: Competence affects patient safety and leadership strategies. Organizational structure: Organizational frameworks influence how the dual responsibilities are handled. Conclusion: Evidence from this study showed that external contextual factors (eg, legislations and finances) and internal factors (eg, relationships and expectations) are experienced as barriers and enablers when department leaders are enacting the dual responsibility of HSE and QPS. Of these, relationships were found to be the most significant contributor.

Citation

Magerøy, M. R., Sverre Braut, G., Macrae, C., Clay-Williams, R., Braithwaite, J., & Wiig, S. (2024). Leading Quality and Safety on the Frontline – A Case Study of Department Leaders in Nursing Homes. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 16, 193-208. https://doi.org/10.2147/jhl.s454109

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 30, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Apr 23, 2024
• Publication Date: Apr 23, 2024
• Deposit Date: Apr 29, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 29, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Healthcare Leadership
• Electronic ISSN: 1179-3201
• Publisher: Dove Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Pages: 193-208
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/jhl.s454109
• Keywords: leadership; patient safety; quality; human factors; staff safety
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/34321558
• Publisher URL: https://www.dovepress.com/leading-quality-and-safety-on-the-frontline--a-case-study-of-departmen-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JHL