Nurses' autonomy: Comparative study between American and Jordanian registered nurses

Objective: To compare between the autonomy of American registered nurses and the autonomy of Jordanian registered nurses regarding patient care decision and unit operation decisions. Materials and Methods: A comparative design using a survey method was used in this study employing a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected from 264 American registered nurses and 250 Jordanian registered nurses who were working in a teaching hospital in both countries. The Autonomy Scale of Biegen and her colleagues²³ was used to measure nurses' autonomy. Results: Over all, both American and Jordanian nurses had autonomy over patient care decisions more than that over unit operation decisions (Mean= 3.75 for American nurses versus 3.50 for Jordanian nurses). The majority of differences in patient care decisions were advantageous for American nurses. However, the majority of differences in unit operation decisions were advantageous for Jordanian nurses (Mean=3.40 for Jordanian nurses versus 2.54 for American nurses). Conclusions: Nurses' autonomy is centered on patient decision-making, which reflects client advocacy. Differences in nurses' autonomy are related to differences in healthcare systems. In general, nurses' autonomy is important to enhance the quality of nursing care, patients' outcomes, and the survival of healthcare organizations.