Keywords
Nurses
Practice Management
Health Services
Leadership
How to Cite
Abstract
This study aimed to characterize the profile of scientific publications regarding the structural and psychological empowerment of nurses in healthcare settings. It was conducted as a scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the PRISMA-ScR extension. The search was performed in January 2026 across the BVS (MEDLINE, BDENF, LILACS), CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases, covering primary studies published between 2019 and 2025. The PCC mnemonic was used (Population: nurses; Concept: structural/psychological empowerment; Context: healthcare services). Nineteen international and national studies were selected. A moderate level of structural and psychological empowerment was observed among nurses. The most prominent dimensions were opportunity and meaning, whereas support, information, and bureaucratic autonomy recorded lower scores. A strong positive association was found between empowerment and authentic/transformational leadership, safety climate, professional performance, and quality of care, alongside a negative correlation with burnout, bullying, and turnover intention. Nurse empowerment is a key management element that directly influences job satisfaction and care outcomes. Investing in favorable organizational structures and empowering leadership behaviors strengthens professional practice within healthcare services.
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