Objectives: To investigate the relations among staff nurses' participation
in phases of the decision-making process related to decisions II nursing pr
actice, competencies of nurse manager leadership, and nurse-physician colla
boration.
Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of the Variations in Nursing Pr
actice Model study. The data were derived from the responses of staff nurse
s to a questionnaire asking about their participation in decision making, t
heir perception of the competency of nurse manager leadership, and their co
llaboration with physicians.
Results: Nurse-physician collaboration contributed to greater participation
in all phases of both caregiving and condition-of-work decisions. The comp
etency of nurse manager leadership had a small but significant positive cor
relation with participation in decision making, but it did not have a signi
ficant effect on phases of participation in both types of decisions.
Conclusions: The study findings provide evidence to support the relations a
mong an organizational structure, an organizational process, and a provider
process of healthcare. Further research is needed to clarify the relation
among structure, process, and specific outcomes.