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Introduction
Developments such as the aging European population, the increasing number of people with long-term conditions and the need for community-based care instead of institutionalised care require nurses with a high level of competency in the community (Spasova et al., 2018; Genet et al., 2013). In The Netherlands, community nurses have a unique leadership position, as they are in charge of community care teams that usually consist of 10–15 nurses working in community care (in this study, the term nurses refers to registered nurses, certified nurse assistants and helping aids). Furthermore, they determine, which and how much care is needed, provide care while enhancing self-reliance and quality of life of older adults and connect various professionals in the field (Rosendal, 2019). Community nurses are also expected to implement research evidence into practice to contribute to improving the delivery of high-quality community care. Given the importance of these community nurses within the community care setting, empowering their leadership competencies is an essential prerequisite.
It is widely agreed that leadership, in general, is a complex and multifaceted process, to influence others in achieving a common goal (de Lange et al., 2019; Northouse, 2014). Specifically for nurses, leadership is regarded as essential to achieving optimal patient outcomes and workplace enhancement (Hutchinson and Jackson, 2013). In this study, we followed the definition of nurse leadership as “a process where nurses can develop observable leadership competencies and attributes needed to improve patient outcomes, personnel outcomes and organisational outcomes”, put forth by Heinen et al. (2019). Especially community nurse leaders, because of their role in community care, can have a significant impact on improving patient outcomes by implementing evidence into practice (Rosendal, 2019). Implementation science aims to take research evidence into practice, to maximise the provision of high-quality care (Eccles and Mittman, 2006; Westerlund et al., 2019). When looking at factors associated with successful implementation, it has been stated that a systematic uptake of evidence is required, and that the implementation approach should match the problems in practice, to achieve change (Grol et al., 2013; Wensing and Grol, 2019; Westerlund et al., 2019). Community nurses should develop an implementation plan to conduct the implementation step-by-step; therefore, they need knowledge on evidence-based best practices, barriers to...