Aim: To evaluate the perception of bedside nurses regarding the implementation of solutions proposed by nurse leaders for patient and employee care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background: Nurse leaders have proposed solutions to better manage the challenges of the pandemic. However, multiple factors influence the transposal of actions from the tactical to the operational levels.
Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out in a 620-bed non-profit institution. Participants were bedside nurses who completed an online survey.
Results: One hundred sixty-eight nurses participated in the study. Most of the proposed solutions were very effective and easily identified by the nurses. These solutions included adaptations of the physical structure, availability of medical supplies and adequacy of institutional protocols. The actions that stood out with low perception were adequate integration of new employees and the availability of remote work, hotel accommodations for frontline health care workers and day care for children whose parents worked at the hospital.
Conclusion: Bedside nurses were able to recognize most of the solutions proposed by their nurse leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Implications for nursing management: Tactical-level nurse leaders need constant proximity to bedside nurses and continuous elucidation of the objectives to be achieved by the strategies adopted.
Keywords: COVID-19; healthcare; hospital personnel administration; leadership; nursing.
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Nursing Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.