Leadership of Nursing Director towards International Nursing Service Excellence at Tertiary Hospitals

Abstract

Purpose: To study the leadership of nursing directors towards international nursing service
excellence at tertiary hospitals.
Design: a descriptive study using Delphi Technique.
Methods: Subjects were 19 experts, including two tertiary hospital administrators who are
certified to international standards, five hospital quality assurance inspectors, eight nursing
directors in the tertiary hospitals who are certified to international standards, and
four nursing professors of nursing administration. The Delphi Technique consisted of
3 steps. 1) All experts were interviewed about the leadership of the nursing directors toward
international nursing service excellence at tertiary hospitals. 2) Interviewed data were
analyzed by using content analysis in order to develop the leadership of nursing director
rating scales questionnaire. Then, the questionnaire was sent to all experts to rate their
opinions. 3) Data were analyzed by using a median and interquartile range which was
developed into a new version of the questionnaire and then sent to previous experts for
their confirmation. Data were analyzed again using the median and interquartile ranges.
Finding: The result of this study presented leadership of a nursing director consisted of
11 domains as follows: 1) Idealized Influence 2) Awareness 3) Knowledge of the nursing
profession and standards 4) Change Agent 5) Think strategically / Be a strategic leader
6) Emotional Intelligence 7) Inspiration Motivation/Team Spirit 8) Intellectual Stimulation
9) Individualized Consideration 10) Create a safety and quality organization culture
11) Stakeholder focus.
Conclusion: Leadership of nursing directors in 11 domains helps tertiary hospitals achieve
international nursing service excellence.