Authentic leadership was linked to less burnout among U.S. hospital nurses
A review found encouraging associations for nurses, while evidence about patient and health-system outcomes was absent.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review found that stronger authentic leadership was associated with less nurse burnout and greater satisfaction from compassionate care. These patterns suggest a relationship worth studying, but the evidence cannot establish that changing leadership improves well-being. The included studies addressed nursing outcomes and did not provide evidence of benefits for patients or health systems.
Most evidence came from descriptive surveys taken at a single point in time, and the review judged the studies to have moderate risk of bias. These associations do not establish causation.
What researchers found
Authentic leadership and nurse burnout
Higher measured leadership was linked to lower burnout; assessment timing and specific comparison thresholds were not reported.
Whose outcomes were studied
Although the review sought evidence about nurses, patients and health systems, the included studies focused entirely on nurses. The absence of patient findings is an evidence gap, not proof that patient outcomes are unaffected.
Why results were not pooled
Studies used different leadership scales and research methods. The reviewers therefore summarized findings in words rather than calculating a combined effect, limiting how precisely the overall size of the associations can be described.
The original publication
Systematic Review of Authentic Leadership Effects on Patient, Nurse, and System Outcomes.
Mastro KA, Courtwright SE, Weaver SH
Nurs Res · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40923928
- Record checked
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