Promoting nurses' self-efficacy: a leadership strategy to improve practice

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction between structural empowerment, nursing leadership, and self-efficacy for nursing practice, to determine if self-efficacy could contribute to more professional nursing behaviors.

Background: Increasing self-efficacy for nursing practice may improve nurses' professional practice behaviors because individuals not only react to environmental influences, but also have the ability to exercise self-influence to shape their social systems. A new theory was developed that suggests the interaction between structural empowerment, nursing leadership, and self-efficacy may determine whether a nurse's practice behavior is either professional or more task-focused.

Methods: The study used a nonexperimental survey design. Path analysis was used to demonstrate both direct and indirect relationships. Mediation was also tested through Sobel's tests.

Results: Self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between structural empowerment and professional practice behaviors. Sobel's tests were significant when self-efficacy mediated the relationship between structural empowerment and professional practice behaviors in the group who perceived strong nursing leadership, as well as in the model where nursing leadership was not included.

Conclusions: Nurse managers may want to provide opportunities for enhancing self-efficacy, such as role modeling and verbal persuasion, recognizing that through improved self-efficacy, practice behaviors may improve.