Political Astuteness and Efficacy and Health Advocacy Engagement among Nurse Leaders in Region I, Philippines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66133/0desr959Keywords:
health advocacy , health policy, nurse administrators, Philippines, policy makingAbstract
Nurse leaders play a vital role in influencing health systems; however, empirical evidence on nurse leaders’ political capacities and health advocacy engagement in the Philippines remains limited. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed to examine nurse leaders’ political astuteness, political efficacy, and health advocacy engagement in Region I, and to explore the experiences, motivations, and barriers influencing their advocacy and policy engagement. A survey of 162 nurse leaders from nursing schools and government hospitals was conducted and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Thirteen purposively selected nurse leaders then participated in semi-structured interviews analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings were integrated through joint displays and mixed-methods meta-inferences guided by the Sessler-Branden Advocacy Matrix. Results showed beginning-level political astuteness characterized by strong ethical sensitivity but limited procedural knowledge of political systems. Nurse leaders demonstrated moderate political efficacy, with greater confidence in influencing local contexts than national policy arenas, and moderate health advocacy engagement, primarily focused on patient and community concerns, with limited participation in legislative or system-level initiatives. Qualitative findings explained these patterns through three themes: Ethical-Professional Identity as the Moral Root of Political Awareness; Political Self-Perception and the Uneven Development of Political Efficacy; and Advocacy as a Continuum of Ethical Action and Emerging Political Agency. Integrated findings revealed that nurse leaders demonstrated ethically grounded yet evolving political capacities. Strengthening political competence requires structured leadership development initiatives, including policy education, mentorship, and experiential exposure to health governance processes.
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