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The aim of this study is to describe nurse perceptions of nurse leaders' internal crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic.Internal communication is a vital part of nurse leaders' work, even more so during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.This is a cross-sectional study design. The data were collected from 204 Finnish nurses in February 2021. A questionnaire developed in this study consisted of 29 items measuring internal crisis communication and seven demographic variables. The relationships between the variables were examined with cross-tabulation, a chi-squared test and non-parametric tests. Factor structure was evaluated with exploratory factor analysis and reliability with Cronbach's alpha.Nurses perceived the timeliness of communication highest and interaction the lowest. Nurses from intensive care, acute care and operative rooms gave highest evaluations for the content of communication and timeliness. Nurses working with COVID-19 patients daily or weekly evaluated the highest level of false communication.Nurse leaders' internal crisis communication was timely, especially in the most critical units dealing with the pandemic. The study highlighted the importance of considering a unit's special needs for internal crisis communication. Interaction between nurse leaders and nursing staff during periods of crisis needs improvement.Nurse leaders' successful and emphatic communication is important in supporting nurses in managing a crisis.

To explore nurse leaders' resilience and their role in supporting nurses' resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged health care systems on a global level. Nurse leaders are tasked with ensuring high-quality care, even during crises, which requires active problem-solving and confidence in the future-resilience from leaders.A scoping review was conducted using inductive thematic analysis and the PCC (Participants, Concept, Context) framework. The PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases, as well additional studies and grey literature, were searched from December 2019 to June 2021.The review included 12 studies. Nurse leaders' self-awareness, self-reflection, and coping strategies described their resilience during the pandemic. A relational leadership style, supportive and safe work environment, and adequate communication were found to support nurses' resilience.There is scarce research concerning nurse leaders' resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research needs to address nurse leaders' personal resilience due to the link with nurses' resilience.A healthy work environment is essential for nurses' resilience. During crises, nurse leaders should adopt relational leadership styles and actively interact with nursing staff.

Nurse-led counseling and systematic follow-up has been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk factor levels. The study aim was to investigate if cardiovascular risk factor levels could be reduced in patients with coronary artery disease with a nurse-led intervention and to report patients’ evaluations of nurse-led counseling. The study design was a real-life longitudinal follow-up counseling intervention. Data were collected from November 2017 to May 2020. The nurse-led intervention and patients’ follow-up time was one year. Of the 78 patients recruited, 74 completed the study. The most significant findings were in the levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides at every follow-up visit compared to their baseline levels, and that waist circumference decreased during the one-year follow-up. Patients assessed the quality of nurse-led counseling to be very good, though it decreased slightly during follow-up. The results suggest the integrated care path together with specialized and primary care for coronary artery disease patients need further development. More research is needed on how to strengthen patients’ self-management and what kind of counseling would best promote it. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Aim To describe nurse managers' views of their work in the future. Background Ongoing reformation of healthcare organizations includes profound changes to nurse managers' work practices. Method A qualitative approach was applied to elicit views of nurse managers (n=133) from eight Finnish specialized medical care hospitals through one open-ended question about their future work in November 2019.The acquired data were subjected to inductive thematic content analysis. Results Four themes were identified in the nurse managers' responses, indicating that they anticipated: 1) a shift from hierarchical leadership to shared governance, 2) an increasing focus on proactive and systematic work, 3) development of evidence-based practices, and 4) improvement in the attractiveness and effectiveness of the organization. Conclusions Nurse managers envisage their future work will follow transformational leadership model. Shared governance and multi-disciplinary team leading, with a stronger focus on proactive strategic planning will extend their power to influence decision-making. Administrative supporting systems will free more time from their daily routine work for interactions with staff. Implications for nursing management Clarification of the managers' job description along with administrative support systems is anticipated to strengthen leadership, facilitate management, enhance decision-making and increase the attractiveness and effectiveness of both healthcare organizations and nurse managers' work.

Background Nurse managers play a critical role in enhancing nursing and patient outcomes. Nurse managers’ behaviour and the clinical environment have been shown to affect nurses’ job satisfaction. In addition, leadership, managers’ support, and nurse-manager trust all improve the patient safety culture climate and reduce medication errors. However, hospital management and organisational support influence both manager and staff attitudes, which can affect care quality outcomes. This study aims to describe the relationships between nurse managers’ work content, nurses’ job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication errors at the hospital unit level. Methods The questionnaire data were collected from nurse managers (n= 29), nursing staff (n=306), and patients (n=651) from 28 units across three Finnish acute care hospitals in year 2017. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to estimate relationships between data from Nurse Managers’ Work Content Questionnaire, Kuopio University Hospital Job Satisfaction Scale, and Revised Humane Caring Scale subscales, along with medication errors reports. Results Multiple relationships were identified for components of nurse managers’ work content, nurses’ job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication errors. How nurse managers divide their time between various responsibilities was shown to influence the patient satisfaction Outcomes subarea (p< .001), the Requiring factors of work subarea of nurses’ job satisfaction (p< .001), as well as medication errors (p< .001).Conclusions It would be recommendable for nurse managers to prioritise focusing on employee well-being, development, and communication. However, to be effective and beneficial, the work in each of these subareas must be well organised. The results demonstrate that nurse managers need to consciously balance their workloads to achieve better outcomes.

Aim To develop the Nurse Managers' Work Content Questionnaire (NMWCQ) and to describe nurse managers' work content. Background Restructuring within health care has expanded the nurse manager's role to include organisational, patient and staff demands. Methods The pilot study employed a cross-sectional study design. Based on a literature review, the NMWCQ with 102 items was developed and pretested for this study. Data were collected in 2017 from three Finnish acute care central hospitals that provide specialised health care. A total of 61 nurse managers participated, which represents a response rate of 59%. Principal component analysis was used to test the construct validity of the instrument. Cronbach's alpha values were used to analyse the internal consistency of the instrument. In addition, descriptive and nonparametric analysis was used. Results Ultimately, 13 components with 87 items were identified in the questionnaire. The construct validity and internal consistency of the questionnaire were at acceptable levels. Cronbach's alpha rates of the components were 0.554 - 0.890. The most frequently performed daily work of nurse managers was in the component of organising, and the most infrequently performed daily work was in the component of clinical nursing. Conclusions The study shows that the Nurse Managers' Work Content Questionnaire (NMWCQ) is suitable for measuring the current content of nurse managers' work. However, the questionnaire is new and needs additional testing such as confirmatory factor analysis with larger amounts of data.