OBJECTIVE: This study tested a multilevel model examining the effects of work-unit structural empow- erment and social capital on perceptions of unit effec- tiveness and nurses’ ratings of patient care quality. BACKGROUND: Structural empowerment and so- cial capital are valuable resources for staff nurses that promote work effectiveness and high-quality patient care. No studies have examined social capital in nursing at the group level.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 525 nurses in 49 nursing units in 25 acute care hospitals in Ontario was conducted to test the hypothesized multilevel model using structural equation modeling.
RESULTS: Both unit-level structural empowerment and social capital had significant effects on unit effec- tiveness ($ = .05 and $ = .29, P G .05, respectively). Unit-level predictors explained 87.5% of level 2 variance in individual nurses’ ratings of patient care quality. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a better under- standing of how unit-level structural empowerment