The Role of Participation in and Effectiveness of Shared Governance Councils in the Nurses' Perception of a Professional Practice Work Environment

OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to identify the differences in nurses' perceptions of their professional practice work environment (PPWE) related to their participation in shared governance (SG) councils and to examine the perception of effectiveness of SG councils among nurses who participate in them. BACKGROUND Research suggests that adopting SG in nursing can lead to significant, positive outcomes, such as patient and nurse satisfaction and enhanced nurse empowerment, engagement, and a PPWE. METHODS The study used a cross-sectional design in a Magnet (R)-designated urban Jordanian cancer care hospital. A convenience sample of 580 direct care nurses was used. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, the Council Health (CH) instrument, and the Professional Practice Work Environment Inventory (PPWEI). RESULTS Results demonstrated a significant difference in the total score of PPWE between the SG council members (4.85) and nonmembers (4.68) (t = 2.906, P = 0.004). The results also indicated small to strong correlations of the total overall council health mean and all domain means of council effectiveness with total overall PPWEI mean and all domain means of PPWE (P < 0.05) among nurses who participated in SG councils. CONCLUSION Findings support involving more staff in SG councils and that enhancing the SG councils' effectiveness positively affects the PPWE.