Nurse’s Characteristics as a Leader in Emergency Settings: A Bibliographic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62486/agsalud2026235Keywords:
Leadership, Nurses, EmergenciesAbstract
Introduction: the nurse’s leadership in emergency settings plays a crucial role in the efficiency and safety of care provision, where swift and critical decisions in unstable environments are required. The nurse’s ability to lead teams, coordinate resources, and ensure the quality of care can be decisive in guaranteeing favorable outcomes for both team and patients.
Objective: to identify and synthesize evidence on the nurse’s characteristics as a leader in emergency settings.
Method: a rapid review following the Cochrane methodology. A search was conducted in two databases: CINAHL Complete and MEDLINE Complete. The methodological quality assessment and risk of bias for the selected studies were conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal tools. The results from the studies were summarized narratively.
Results: three articles were selected. The nurse’s characteristics as a leader in emergency settings were synthesized into three key domains: intellectual, encompassing knowledge and cognitive skills; technical, related to clinical and procedural expertise; and relational, with a strong emphasis on effective communication, the most frequently cited attribute.
Conclusions: this review’s findings provide a foundational reference for future research, underscoring the need for further primary studies to expand and deepen the understanding of nursing leadership in emergency settings.
References
1. Silva DS, Bernardes A, Gabriel CS, Rocha FLR, Caldana G. A liderança do enfermeiro no contexto dos serviços de urgência e emergência. Revista Eletrônica de Enfermagem. 2014 Mar 31;16(1):211–9. https://doi.org/10.5216/ree.v16i1.19615
2. Dias AR, Sanguedo S, Peixoto T, Peixoto N. Liderança transformacional nos serviços de enfermagem: revisão de escopo. RevSALUS - Revista Científica da Rede Académica das Ciências da Saúde da Lusofonia. 2024 Jan 15;5(Supii):72–72. https://doi.org/10.51126/revsalus.v5iSupii.746
3. Rixon A, Elder E, Bull C, Crilly OAM J, Østervan C, Frieslich H, et al. Leadership conceptions of nurses and physicians in emergency care: A scoping review. Int Emerg Nurs. 2024 Jun 1;74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2024.101454
4. Bernardino VP, Silva MAD da, Barbosa BD, Costa M da GC, Evangelista BP, Duarte RB. Análise da produção científica acerca da liderança do enfermeiro nos serviços de urgência e emergência. Research, Society and Development. 2022 Aug 28;11(11):e454111133726. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i11.33726
5. Välimäki M, Hu S, Lantta T, Hipp K, Varpula J, Chen J, et al. The impact of evidence-based nursing leadership in healthcare settings: a mixed methods systematic review. BMC Nurs. 2024 Jul 3;23(1):452. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02096-4
6. McEwen M, Wills E. Theoretical Basis for Nursing. 4th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014.
7. Garritty C, Hamel C, Trivella M, Gartlehner G, Nussbaumer-Streit B, Devane D, et al. Updated recommendations for the Cochrane rapid review methods guidance for rapid reviews of effectiveness. BMJ. 2024 Feb 6;e076335. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-076335
8. Hamel C, Michaud A, Thuku M, Skidmore B, Stevens A, Nussbaumer-Streit B, et al. Defining Rapid Reviews: a systematic scoping review and thematic analysis of definitions and defining characteristics of rapid reviews. J Clin Epidemiol [Internet]. 2021 Jan 1;129:74–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.09.041
9. Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ [Internet]. 2021 Mar 29;372:n71. Available from: http://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n71.abstract
10. Haddaway NR, Page MJ, Pritchard CC, McGuinness LA. PRISMA2020: An R package and Shiny app for producing PRISMA 2020-compliant flow diagrams, with interactivity for optimised digital transparency and Open Synthesis. Campbell Systematic Reviews [Internet]. 2022 Jun 1;18(2):e1230. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1230
11. Estevam L, Lima R, Sales C, Domingues E, Simões I, Sanches R. Leading of nurse in emergency situations in the hospital: vision of nursing technicians. Journal of Nursing UFPE Online [Internet]. 2017 Apr;11(4):1709–15. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316463751
12. Brewster DJ, Butt WW, Gordon LJ, Rees CE. Leadership in intensive care: A review. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2020 Jul 1;48(4):266–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0310057X20937319
13. Joanna Briggs Institute. JBI Levels of Evidence [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2025 Feb 1]. Available from: https://jbi.global/sites/default/files/2019-05/JBI-Levels-of-evidence_2014_0.pdf
14. Camp S, Legge T. Simulation as a Tool for Clinical Remediation: An Integrative Review. Clin Simul Nurs. 2018 Mar;16:48–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2017.11.003
15. Shuman CJ, Costa DK. Stepping in, Stepping up, and Stepping out: Competencies for Intensive Care Unit Nursing Leaders During Disasters, Emergencies, and Outbreaks. American Journal of Critical Care. 2020 Sep 1;29(5):403–6. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2020421
16. Pereira MV, Spiri WC, Spagnuolo RS, Juliani CMCM. Transformational leadership: journal club for emergency and intensive care nurse managers. Rev Bras Enferm. 2020;73(3). https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2018-0504
https://doi.org/10.62486/agsalud2026235
7 Reis J, et al
https://doi.org/10.62486/agsalud2026235
17. Lockwood C, Munn Z, Porritt K. Qualitative research synthesis: methodological guidance for systematic reviewers utilizing meta-aggregation. Int J Evid Based Healthc. 2015 Sep;13(3):179–87. https://doi.org/10.1097/XEB.0000000000000062
18. Aromataris E, Fernandez R, Godfrey CM, Holly C, Khalil H, Tungpunkom P. Summarizing systematic reviews: methodological development, conduct and reporting of an umbrella review approach. Int J Evid Based Healthc. 2015 Sep;13(3):132–40. https://doi.org/10.1097/XEB.0000000000000055
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Joana Reis, Débora Dias, Nísia Nunes, Sara Ruxa (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.
