Objective: To 1) study the level of staff empowerment practices of head nurses in accredited hospitals, 2) study the level of staff empowerment practices of head nurses in non-accredited hospitals and 3) compare staff empowerment practices of head nurses between accredited hospitals and non-accredited hospitals in southern Thailand.
Material and Methods: 43 head nurses in accredited hospitals and 58 head nurses in non-accredited hospitals, selected by random sampling without replacement technique.
Results: The mean score of the staff empowerment practices of head nurses in accredited hospitals and in non-accredited hospitals were at high levels (M=3.28, SD=.38 and M=3.33, SD=.37 respectively ; theoretical range 0-4). There was no significant difference between the mean scores of the staff empowerment practices of head nurses in accredited hospitals and non-accredited hospitals (t=.58, p .05).
Conclusion: Staff empowerment strategies employed by head nurses both in accredited and non-accredited hospitals were not statistically significantly different, but were performed in different situations that could lead to enhancement and maintenance quality of nursing care.