Exploring clinical leadership in long‐term care: An integrative literature review

Aim

The aim of this study is to understand the concept of clinical leadership and clinical leadership development for nurses working with older adults in long-term care health care facilities.

Background

In Canada, clinical care within long-term care is undertaken by registered nurses and licenced practical nurses working with health care aides. Effective clinical leadership is essential for providing quality nursing care.

Evaluation

An integrative literature review using the framework of Whittemore and Knafl (2005). All selected articles were quality appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program and the accuracy, authority, coverage, objectivity, date and significance checklist.

Key Issues

The analysis resulted in four themes: ambiguous definitions, practice-based and value-driven care, the impact of clinical leadership and clinical leadership development for Canadian nurses.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that ambiguity surrounds the concept of clinical leadership, with the term denoting both ‘management’ as a formal administrative role and ‘leadership’ in general. More recently, the clinical leadership focus has been on informal leadership by nurses at the bedside, where personal and professional values align with clinical action.

Implications for nursing management

Effective clinical leadership can have a positive impact on quality care and employee job satisfaction.