Liderazgo del Personal de Enfermería en Unidades de Primer Nivel de Atención en Comunidades Indígenas

Leadership is one of the functions of the nursing professional, which equips nurses with the necessary qualities to manage resources, make decisions, and lead a team. When these functions are conducted in primary care units within Indigenous populations, nursing staff may face specific sociocultural and geographical barriers. Aim: to identify the leadership functions applied by nursing staff in health units in Indigenous populations. Methods: community case study following an ethnographic approach through semi-structured interviews with nursing staff and users, participant observation, and the use of field diaries. Results: specific leadership functions performed by nursing staff were identified, as well as some of the barriers they face, such as inadequate communication related to the native language, lack of community support networks, gender role gaps, and geographical barriers. Conclusions: the role of the nursing professional as a leader in primary care units is crucial; however, there are sociocultural and geographical barriers that limit these functions, making it essential to develop strategies to reduce these barriers.