Caring attributes of nursing staff as rated by nurses in middle-management positions

The purpose of this study was to describe how nurses in middle-management positions rate caring attributes of nursing staff. A convenience sample of 99 nurses from three acute-care hospitals was asked to rate caring attributes of nursing staff using the Nyberg Caring Assessment Scale, a 20 item 5-point Likert scale instrument. Fifty-nine nurses in the sample volunteered to participate in the study. Participants rated the attribute communicating a helping, trusting attitude toward others as extremely important, and the attribute consider relationships before rules as somewhat important. The remaining eighteen items were rated very important caring attributes to be exhibited by nursing staff in relations with patients and others in acute-care facilities. The study adds to the literature on caring and contributes to the nursing profession by expanding information about caring-based practice.