title: The value of staff nurse involvement in decision making.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this study were to explore the perceptions of hospital-based staff nurses regarding their involvement in decision making and to gain an understanding of the ways nurses would like to be involved in decision making.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  How nurses want to be involved and the extent to which hospital-based staff nurses are involved in formal and informal structures for decision making remain unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stratified cluster random sampling was used to identify hospitals to participate in the study. Staff nurses and chief nursing officers (CNOs) from 10 hospitals in Colorado were invited to participate in this qualitative descriptive study informed by grounded theory. Focus groups with staff nurses and individual interviews with CNOs were also conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Safe quality patient care was threaded throughout discussions among the staff nurses and CNOs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Staff nurses viewed involvement in decision making through the lens of an egalitarian process, whereas administration viewed involvement as soliciting input but making decisions unilaterally.
authors.affiliation: Regis University/RHCHP, Denver, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Phyllis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Graham-Dickerson
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Houser
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casper
authors.forename: Lysa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Erkenbrack
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wenzel
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siegrist
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D016294:Models, Nursing; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000523:psychology*; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research