Registered professional nurses’ experiences regarding supervision of nursing care at selected hospitals of Limpopo province

Background: Registered professional nurses are the most qualified category in the nursing profession and are mandated by the scope of practice to supervise other nursing categories during the provision of nursing care. Nursing supervision is a cornerstone of high-quality nursing care that must be integrated into daily nursing tasks to ensure patients receive optimal treatment and minimise patient complaints and lawsuits. Objectives: The objective of the study was to explore the experiences of registered professional nurses regarding supervision of nursing care in the selected hospitals of Limpopo province. Method: A qualitative study was conducted using an exploratory, descriptive and appreciative inquiry design. The principles of appreciative inquiry served as a guide for the data collection method. Twenty-four registered professional nurses from the maternity, paediatric and casualty departments of selected hospitals were interviewed. Data were gathered through semi-structured individual interviews using standardised interview protocols. Sample size was determined by data saturation. Though data saturation was reached at participant number 15, the researcher kept going on. In order to authenticate the findings, three participants were added from each selected hospital and clinical area. Results: The emerging themes included the administrative, organisational, educational and training challenges. Conclusion: Nursing care supervision by registered professional nurses is essential to improve the quality of nursing care and levels of satisfaction. Contribution: This study contributes to the understanding of factors that impact of effective supervision of nursing care by professional nurses and outline the areas of improvement. The improvement in supervision of nursing care may lead to reduction of patients complaints, improved patient safety and uplift the standard of nursing care rendered.