Relationship between leadership styles and perceptions of patient-centred care

Background/Aims There has been a wide range of discussion regarding the impact of different leadership styles on healthcare outcomes in the literature. This study assessed the influence of transformational, emotionally intelligent and individual consideration leadership styles on perceived levels of physical comfort and emotional support delivered to patients. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 310 healthcare managers and leaders from two tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. Participants' perceived delivery of physical comfort and emotional support to patients was measured using a version of the Patient Judgments of Hospital Quality questionnaire, adapted to include 10 items. Leadership styles were measured using a 20-item questionnaire developed by the authors, scored on a 4-point Likert scale. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse relationships between variables. Statistical significance was set at P≤0.05. Results Significant positive relationships were found between all three leadership styles and perceived delivery of physical comfort. Significant positive relationships were also found between transformational and individual consideration leadership styles and perceived emotional support. The relationship between emotionally intelligent leadership and perceived emotional support was not significant. Conclusions This study adds to the literature showing the potential impact of leadership styles on care delivery in hospitals. Future research should consider using a longitudinal design to further explore the relationships between these variables. Implications for practice The significant relationship between transformational, emotionally intelligent and individual consideration leadership styles on physical comfort and/or emotional support suggest that healthcare managers should aim to increase the use of these leadership styles, both in their own work and in their wider organisations.