Assessing The Effect Of Educational Intervention Based On Supportive Behaviour Leadership Model On Head Nurses' Performance In TUMS Hospitals: RCT In 2010

Methods Design and Setting In this randomized controlled intervention study, the participants of intervention group attended a one day multifaceted supportive leadership workshop, designed for head nurses, working in academic hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).

Supportive leadership behaviors were assessed, by the use of a new developed and validated instrument. The subordinates' points of view were assessed in both control and intervention groups before the intervention and three months after it. Head and subordinate nurses from the sixteen main metropolitan academic hospitals of TUMS were included. This study was performed from July 2010 to April 2011. (Figure1).

Participants A number of 110 head nurses were selected by the use of stratified randomized sampling among 235 head nurses in 16 metropolitan academic hospitals. Moreover, six subordinates were considered for each head nurse (660 subordinates) with different levels of nursing education such as Registered Nurse and Nurse Aids. Therefore, the total number of participants was 770. The sampling processes were conducted with the help of 16 nurse managers (matrons) in these 16 hospitals. Individuals were included into the study based on inclusion criteria. In order to avoid bias, these 16 nurse managers were excluded from the study population (Figure 2). The response rate was 95% in baseline phase as a result of face to face visit. The inclusion criteria was for nurses having more than two month work experience in the same ward and the intention of staying in that position for an additional three month.

The head nurses and their related subordinates (660 subordinates) were randomized into an intervention and a control group. The researchers were blinded during randomization. The head nurses in the intervention group (n=55) participated in a multifaceted course of supportive leadership style, and the head nurses in the control group (n=55) did not receive any training. All 770 participants were blinded about their group and completed the questionnaires in baseline and after the intervention. Up to 39 subordinate participants were excluded from the study due to a change in their hospital work place; and the rest of the participants (n= 731) filled out the questionnaires in the post -test. The variables consisted of supportive leadership behavior (SLB), age, sex, marital status and employment background.

Ethical statement This study was approved by the University Ethical Committee and registered as a clinical trial in Clinical Trial.gov (NCT 01169623) and all the participants in the study signed the informed consent. .