Concept analysis of autonomy in nursing through Rogers’ method

The 21st-century healthcare system is becoming more complex, and nursing has grown accordingly, with nurses taking on more responsibilities and needing greater autonomy. However, the concept of nursing autonomy is still unclear and defined differently across studies. This study aims to review existing research to clarify the meaning of nursing autonomy. This review study employed Rogers’ concept analysis methodology to explore the concept of nursing autonomy. In the initial stage, a comprehensive search was conducted using the keywords “nursing autonomy,” “nursing,” “autonomy,” and “nurse” in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Magiran, IRANMEDEX, and SID databases. The search period spanned from 2000 to 2019. From the initial pool of 1017 articles, 12 were selected for further analysis. The study identified and conceptualized defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences related to the concept of nursing autonomy. Across the reviewed articles, terms such as power , control , freedom , decision-making power , clinical judgment , and lack of dependence were frequently used as alternative or related concepts for nursing autonomy. Two categories of characteristics were identified: general and specific. The antecedents of nursing autonomy encompass individual, environmental, and organizational factors. A significant consequence of enhanced clinical competence is the improvement of the quality of health services and related outcomes. Nursing autonomy means having the independence to make decisions and carry them out in practice. It allows nurses to choose the best actions and set the guidelines needed to perform their work effectively.