Leadership for ethical policy and practice (LEPP): participatory action project.

Within Canada's fast-paced, ever-changing healthcare environment, providers are experiencing difficulty practising according to their professional ethical standards, leading many to experience moral or ethical distress. Limited attention has been paid to improvements in the ethical climate in healthcare settings in research focusing on nurses' workplaces. In this three-year study, we focused on how the ethical climate in healthcare delivery can be improved and how the use of participatory action research methods can lead to continued enhancements and lasting changes in services delivery.

Effects of leadership and span of control on nurses' job satisfaction and patient satisfaction.

Background: Hospital restructuring has resulted in nurse managers' having direct responsibility for a greatly expanded number of units and staff. However, very little research has examined the impact of these larger spans of control on nurse and patient outcomes.

Objective: This study examined the relationships between leadership style, span of control, nurses' job satisfaction and patient satisfaction, as well as the moderating effect of span of control on the relationship between leadership style and the two outcomes.

A profile of the structure and impact of nursing management in Canadian hospitals.

The purpose of this study was to describe the profile of nursing leadership structures in Canada and to assess relationships among structures, processes and outcomes pertaining to nurse leaders' work. Data were collected from nurse leaders in 28 academic health centres and 38 community hospitals in 10 Canadian provinces (n = 1,164). The results of this study revealed that the current contingent of nursing leaders in Canada see themselves as an empowered and influential group within their organizations.