Benefits and outcomes of staff nurses' participation in decision making

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.