A Qualitative Study on Support-Seeking Among Chinese Head Nurses: Explorations Under the Authority Role

Background Head nurses are often confronted with multifaceted challenges when managing patient safety incidents. However, the ways in which they navigate the process of seeking support remain insufficiently explored. This study explores Chinese head nurses’ support-seeking experiences during incident management, aiming to clarify their dilemmas and inform supportive strategies. Method A descriptive phenomenological design, following Colaizzi’s method, was employed. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 15 head nurses from Shanxi Bethune Hospital, all with direct experience in managing patient safety incidents. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured face-to-face interviews until thematic saturation was achieved. The analysis rigorously adhered to Colaizzi’s seven-step framework to ensure a faithful exploration of participants’ lived experiences. Result Based on the interview content, three themes and eleven sub-themes were identified: Theme 1: Multiple Constraints Under the Authority Role (Sub-themes: Conflicting perceptions of responsibility in the head nurse role; Overburdening emotional labour induced by the authority role; Shared vulnerability under pressure); Theme 2: The Contradictory Evolution of Support-Seeking Practices (Sub-themes: Urgent seeking of professional and logistical support; Seeking emotional support through virtual peer communities; Silent seeking of upward support; Emerging digital support seeking); Theme 3: Multidimensional Support System Needs Amid Silence (Sub-themes: Multidimensional safeguarding needs; Efficient cross-departmental collaboration needs; AI-empowered decision support needs). These findings were ultimately summarised as “Explorations Under the Authority Role.” Conclusion This study found that head nurses’ support-seeking behaviour following safety incidents evolves through contradictory stages, wherein an urgent need for support coexists with a state of silent upward support-seeking. In response to these findings, we appealed to healthcare institutions to establish communication management platforms incorporating peer-based emotional support mechanisms, develop multidimensional management training programmes utilising virtual reality scenario simulations, and advance the intelligentisation of safety incident management systems alongside third-party professional intervention. These measures may foster a systematic support framework to safeguard nursing managers when addressing safety incidents.