Understanding How Nurse Managers See Their Role in Supporting ICU Nurse Well-being: A Case Study

Aim:
To explore how nurse managers perceive and experience their role in supporting the well‐being of intensive care nurses.
Background:
While it is known that NM behaviours affect nurse well‐being, literature indicate that intensive care nurses may not receive the support they require. Understanding how NMs see their role in supporting nurse well‐being is crucial to offer recommendations for improvement.
Methods:
Qualitative, multiple case study design. Twelve semi‐structured, in depth interviews were conducted with nurse managers from Australian intensive care unit settings. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results:
Nurse manages felt unsure about what their supportive role involved, lacked training on how to support nurse well‐being and called for organisational back‐up to carry out their role effectively. The study also provided insight into the strategies that enabled nurse managers to support nurse‐wellbeing.
Conclusion:
There is currently no consensus on the role of the nurse manager in supporting nurse well‐being resulting in inconsistencies and wide practice variations. Furthermore, nurse managers need support and training if they are required to support nurse well‐being.
Implications for Nursing Management:
A clear definition of the NM supportive role describing the purpose and core functions involved in this role must be developed to support nurse well‐being.