Perception of Shared Governance among Registered Nurses in a Jordanian University Hospital

Introduction: Shared governance considered a framework for developing independent decision making in professional nursing practice, standards, policies, and procedures. It's evident that shared governance enhances professional nursing practice, communication, professional collaboration, a positive work environment, quality decision making, and patient care outcomes. Purposes: the purposes of this study were to examine how registered nurses in a Jordanian University hospital perceive shared governance; to examine the difference between nurse mangers and staff nurses regarding perception of shared governance; to examine the difference of nurses perception of shared governance according to working areas and to examine if there was relationship between perception of shared governance and nurses demographic characteristics. Methods: A descriptive survey design used. Hess Index of Professional Nursing Governance 1998 was utilized to study the nurses’ perceptions of shared governance in a Jordanian University hospital. Sample consisted of all registered nurses working at one of two Jordanian University Hospitals, the response rate was 72% (n=282). Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance ANOVA, post hoc test analysis and Pearson correlation were used in the current study. Results: Findings showed that the Jordanian University hospital nurses’ perceived that decisions equally shared by staff nurses and nursing managers in all IPNG subscale (Nursing Personnel, Information, Goals, Resources, Participation, and Practice), in addition there was no difference between staff nurse and nurse manger in regarding perception of shared governance. The results also showed that nurses working at operation room and critical care unit have perceived more shared governance than medical ward. Significant relationship was found between experience and nurse’s perception of shared governance. Conclusion: result of study would be the input for stakeholder and nursing leaders in hospitals to enhance nurse’s perception of shared governance by developing or adopting shared governance model, which in turn could enhance retention of nurses and improve quality of nursing care.