Aug 26, 2015

Nursing Leadership From Bedside to Boardroom: Opinion Leaders’ Perceptions

Key Findings:

  • Opinion leaders rate doctors and nurses first and second out of a list of options for trusted information about health and health care.
  • Opinion leaders say government and insurance executives will have a great deal of influence in health reform during the next 5–10 years.
  • Opinion leaders perceive patients and nurses to have the least amount of influence in health reform in the next 5–10 years.
  • Opinion leaders say reducing medical errors and increasing the quality of care are two areas where nurses now have a great deal of influence in policy and management.
  • Relatively few opinion leaders say nurses currently have a great deal of influence in increasing access to care, including primary care.
  • Reducing medical errors, increasing quality of care, and promoting wellness top the list of areas in which large majorities of opinion leaders would like nurses to have more influence.
  • Opinion leaders identified top barriers to nurses’ increased influence and leadership as not being perceived as important decision makers or revenue generators compared with doctors; nurses’ focus on primary rather than preventive care, and nursing not having a single voice in speaking on national issues.
  • Opinion leaders’ suggestions for nurses to take on more of a leadership role: make their voices heard and have higher expectations.
Author Information: Richard Blizzard, Christopher Khoury, and Coleen McMurray