Understanding how nurse managers see their role in supporting ICU nurse well‐being—A case study

AIM: To explore how nurse managers perceive and experience their role in supporting the well-being of intensive care nurses. BACKGROUND: While it is known that nurse manager behaviours affect nurse well-being, literature indicates that intensive care nurses may not receive the support they require. Understanding how nurse managers see their role in supporting nurse well-being is crucial to offer recommendations for improvement. METHODS: Qualitative multiple case study design. Twelve semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with nurse managers from Australian intensive care unit settings. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Nurse manages felt unsure about what their supportive role involved, lacked training on how to support nurse well-being and called for organisational backup to carry out their role effectively. The study also provided insight into the strategies that enabled nurse managers to support nurse well-being. CONCLUSION: There is currently no consensus on the role of the nurse manager in supporting nurse well-being resulting in inconsistencies and wide practice variations. Furthermore, nurse managers need support and training if they are required to support nurse well-being. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: A clear definition of the nurse manager supportive role describing the purpose and core functions involved in this role must be developed to support nurse well-being.