Integrative review shows barriers to nurse participation in health policy, suggesting a need for institutional support and active learning opportunities.
Background: Nurses play a pivotal role in healthcare delivery, and their involvement in policymaking is recognized as essential by various government agencies and health organizations. Objective: The authors aimed to describe and synthesize current literature on nurses’ involvement in hospital health policy, as well as the perceived barriers and benefits of their participation. Methods: This integrative review followed Whittemore and Knafl’s methodology. Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL, and gray literature was included. The search was limited to publications from 2013 to 2024. Study quality was assessed using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Tool. Results: Eight studies were analyzed, revealing themes such as health policy activities, level of nurse involvement, perceived barriers (eg, lack of time and resources), and benefits (eg, improving public health and resolving nursing challenges). Most nurses in the studies were not actively involved in health policy development. Conclusions: This review provides valuable insights for policymakers and administrators to offer institutional support, resources, and active learning opportunities regarding health policy involvement. Further in-depth studies are needed to better understand nurses’ experiences with health policy involvement.
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Banisalman et al. (2025) studied this question.
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