The relevance of the LEADS framework during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has created a unique context for the practice of leadership in healthcare. Given the significant use of the LEADS in a Caring Environment capabilities framework (LEADS) in Canada’s health system, it is important to document the relevancy of LEADS. The authors reviewed literature, conducted research, and reflected on their own experience to identify leadership practices during the pandemic and related them to LEADS. Findings are presented in three sections: Hindsight (before), Insight (during), and Foresight (post). We profile the issue of improving Long-Term Care to provide an example of how LEADS can be applied in crisis times. Our analysis suggests that while LEADS appears to specify the leadership capabilities needed, it requires adaptation to context. The vision Canada has for healthcare will dictate how LEADS will be used as a guide to leadership practice in the current context or to shape a bolder vision of healthcare’s future.

Development and psychometric evaluation of a scale on nursing students’ perceptions of hospital caring environment (PHCE) in China

Background: Caring is a basic tenet of nursing and an essential trait a competent nurse. In China, nursing students spend 8-12 months on clinical rotation in hospitals after the completion of theoretical component of the program in their fourth year. The hospital then becomes the focus of nursing clinical education. However, there is no culturally-specific tool to assess nursing students’ perceptions of hospital caring environment (PHCE). The aim of this study was to develop a valid assessment tool to measure nursing students’ perceptions of hospital caring environment. Methods: A two-phase study was conducted to develop a PHCE scale and to test its psychometric properties. In phase one, the items of the PHCE scale were developed from a qualitative study, a literature review and expert validation. The second phase tested the factor structure, construct validity and reliability through a convenience sample of 383 final year nursing students recruited from two teaching hospitals in China (response rate 95.75%). Results: The final PHCE scale consists of 41 items, was internally consistent (Cronbach’s α = 0.98) and had satisfactory test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.87). The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the scale contained four subscales, accounting for 63.69% variance. Conclusions: The 41-item NSPHCE is a reliable tool to assess the Chinese nursing students’ perceptions of the hospital caring environment in China.