Structural capital in the nursing management in hospitals

Abstract

Objective: to describe how nurses use the components of the structural capital in management in hospitals. Method: exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Data were collected in five public, four private and three philanthropic hospitals from October 2014 to May 2015. A semi-structured interview was used with 12 nursing managers in coordination, management, and direction and support assistance positions of the nursing services. The data were analyzed according to content analysis and organized in the category of Operational Process Management, with two subcategories: Care Technology and Administrative Technology. Results: nurses used the components of the structural capital to create the care technology, by applying new ideas and perfecting processes, models, and protocols. To produce the administrative technology, inclusion of strategic action plan, diverse committees, development and the use of indicators in the care and administrative processes were required. Also, valuing ideas for innovation in the service, maintenance of relationship with suppliers, cost management, use of electronic system and meetings for sharing knowledge were also mentioned. Conclusion: the managers use and develop new managerial actions for the development of the organizations’ structural capital. In order to improve them, investments and strategies are needed to identify the components that need to be optimized for their use and development, as the effectiveness of one component requires a high level of alignment and integration with the others.