ArticleJournal of nursing management2026
Exploring Nurses' Experiences of Autonomy in Intensive Care Units: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.
Article in Journal of nursing management, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNursing autonomy is essential in intensive care units (ICUs). However, there is limited understanding of how nurses perceive autonomy within their practice.
aimTo explore nurses' perception and experience of autonomy in ICUs.
designA qualitative descriptive study.
methodsThe study was conducted with 14 ICU nurses through interviews from May to August 2025. Nurses' characteristics were described, and interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a primarily inductive, semantic codebook thematic analysis informed by Braun and Clarke's six-phase framework.
resultsSeven main themes and 25 subthemes emerged from the interviews, revealing personal and organizational factors that influence nursing autonomy in ICUs. The themes were as follows: nursing autonomy's definition and perception, clinical practices, facilitators, barriers, perceived influence on patient care, perceived influence on nurse personal and professional development, and future advancements.
conclusionThe findings provide insight into ICU nurses' experiences and perceptions of autonomy. Nurses reported that autonomy was influenced by clinical competence, organizational support, and clear guidelines. Nurses perceived that independent nursing care and timely actions undertaken under approved protocols could support patient care, professional confidence, and job satisfaction. Limited decision-making authority, inadequate staffing, and unclear institutional support were reported as barriers. Nursing autonomy could strengthen nurses' confidence and job satisfaction, which nurses perceived as contributing to better patient care. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The findings can guide nurse managers in implementing structured competency-based education, reinforcing clearly defined scopes of practice that are consistent with institutional policies, and adopting supportive leadership practices to promote nursing autonomy. Hospital administrators and national policymakers can further use the findings to advance nursing practice through developing organizational and regulatory frameworks required to authorize and safely support expanded autonomous practice.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.