title: Developing team leadership to facilitate guideline utilization: planning and evaluating a 3-month intervention strategy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research describes leadership as important to guideline use. Yet interventions to develop current and future leaders for this purpose are not well understood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the planning and evaluation of a leadership intervention to facilitate nurses' use of guideline recommendations for diabetic foot ulcers in home health care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Planning the intervention involved a synthesis of theory and research (qualitative interviews and chart audits). One workshop and three follow-up teleconferences were delivered at two sites to nurse managers and clinical leaders (n=15) responsible for 180 staff nurses. Evaluation involved workshop surveys and interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Highest rated intervention components (four-point scale) were: identification of target indicators (mean 3.7), and development of a team leadership action plan (mean 3.5). Pre-workshop barriers assessment rated lowest (mean 2.9). Three months later participants indicated their leadership performance had changed as a result of the intervention, being more engaged with staff and clear about implementation goals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Creating a team leadership action plan to operationalize leadership behaviours can help in delivery of evidence-informed care. Access to clinical data and understanding team leadership knowledge and skills prior to formal training will assist nursing management in tailoring intervention strategies to identify needs and gaps.
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Ottawa, Canada. wgifford@uottawa.ca
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gifford
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tourangeau
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lefebre
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002170:Canada; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000451:nursing; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D009731:Nursing Audit; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000458:organization & administration; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013192:Staff Development / Q000458:organization & administration*