| Abstract [eng] |
Rationale: The global health crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic required health professionals (especially nurses) to demonstrate leadership competencies in their daily work. The impact of the pandemic has drawn attention to the nursing profession, highlighting the profession's strengths such as: initiative, collaboration, teamwork and leadership. This thesis aims to assess nurses' leadership role in providing autonomous outpatient consultations to patients. Objectives: 1. To find out nurses' views on the roles provided by nurses in primary care and their capacity to provide additional roles. 2. To determine nurses' attitudes toward autonomous outpatient nurse consultations for patients in primary care. 3. To find out nurses' views on empowering nurses by broadening their competencies and raising the prestige of the profession. 4. To determine nurses' attitudes towards the role of leadership in primary care. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted between February and March 2024. The research instrument was a semi-structured interview questionnaire, developed based on a review of the scientific literature. 7 general nurses working in primary care in a GP team were interviewed. Results of the study: Informants in the qualitative research were positive about nurses' independent outpatient consultations. The majority of respondents noted that this would enhance the prestige of the nursing profession, as it would highlight the profession's strengths such as initiative, collaboration, autonomy and leadership. During the study, all informants mentioned that the leadership role in the primary health care setting positively impacts the nurse's autonomous consultations. Conclusions: 1. The study found that nurses provide all the functions included in the general nurse's medical standard, as well as some of the functions that doctors are responsible for: continuing medication, writing referrals, and counselling patients about their illness. Since February 2024, the nurse's competences have been extended and functions such as the continuation of medication, writing of referrals according to a list have been regulated by law. 2. The respondents revealed a positive perception of independent outpatient counseling. The biggest challenge for nurses was gaining patients' trust in providing independent consultations. Increasing nurses' competencies would partly contribute to raising the prestige of the nursing profession, but it is not enough. Other motivational measures such as decent pay, good working conditions, career opportunities, and recognition and appreciation of the nursing profession should also be considered. 4. Nurses' attitudes towards leadership are viewed positively, as fostering nurses' leadership is one of the attributes influencing nurses' autonomous outpatient consultations. Keywords: Nurses, leadership, role, independent outpatient consultations, patients. |
