Time allocation and temporal focus in nursing management: an integrative review

Abstract

Aim: To describe the time allocation and temporal focus in nursing management.

Background: There is limited information about the time allocation and temporal focus of nursing management activities. The role of nurse administrators is changing, resulting in challenges related to time management.

Methods: Published literature in 2005-2014 related to the time allocation or temporal focus of nurse administrators' management activities was retrieved from five databases, and an integrative review was conducted. Data extraction, quality assessment and quantitative content analysis were performed for eight reviewed articles.

Results: Daily reactive management activities and administrative routines were dominant in the nurse administrators' work, and strategic, proactive activities were scarce. Their daily work was fragmented by a variety of activities and numerous interruptions.

Conclusion: Little information exists about time allocation or temporal focus in nurse administrators' management activities. Further research on this topic is needed. The evidence was fairly modest, although the studies' results were generally similar.

Implications for nursing management: These results can be used to clarify the job descriptions of nurse administrators and to plan and focus their education and training. Organisations need to use evidence to standardise the job descriptions of different levels of nurse managers and directors.

Keywords: job description; nurse administrators; task performance and analysis; time.