Expanding nurses' authority – Physicians' and nurses' attitudes

Abstract

AimTo examine and compare the attitudes of physicians and registered nurses regarding extending nurses' authority. DesignThis was a comparative quantitative study, which used a questionnaire that examined the attitudes of nurses and physicians regarding expanding nurses' authority. MethodsThe study comprised a sample of 134 nurses (62.7%) and physicians (37.3%), who filled out the self-report questionnaire that included sociodemographic data and questions designed to examine the participants' attitudes and perceptions on expanding nurses' authority. The general reliability of the questionnaire was Cronbach's α = 0.931. Participants were sampled through the convenience-snowball method. ResultsDifferences were found between the attitudes of physicians and nurses to expanding nurses' authority. Nurses tended to be in favor, whereas physicians tended to be against (t(86.29) = 7.713; p < 0.05). Nurses' attitudes are also more positive specifically to procedures related to drug administration (t(132) = 6.894; p < 0.05) and resuscitation (t(132) = 2.974; p < 0.05), compared to physicians. ConclusionsNurses have more positive attitudes toward expanding nurses' authority than physicians do, specifically toward drug administration and resuscitation. Further study is proposed to identify factors which affect the physician-nurse relationship and attitudes on a large scale through a qualitative study.