Title
Work environment characteristics of high-quality home health agencies
Document Type
Article
Peer Reviewed
1
Publication Date
10-1-2011
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Western journal of nursing research
Volume
33
NLM Title Abbreviation
West J Nurs Res
DOI
10.1177/0193945910381490
PubMed ID
20935216
Abstract
This concurrent mixed-method study examines the nurse work environment of high-quality Medicare-certified home health agencies. High-quality (n=6) and low-quality (n=6) home health agencies were recruited using agency-level publicly reported patient outcomes. Direct care registered nurses (RNs) from each agency participated in a focus group and completed the Practice Environment Scale of the Nurse Work Index (PES-NWI). No significant differences were found in the PES-NWI results between nurses working in high- and low-quality agencies, though nurses in high-quality agencies scored higher on all subscales. Nurses working in all the high-quality agencies identified themes of adequate staffing, supportive managers, and team work. These themes were not consistently identified in low-quality agencies. Themes of supportive managers and team work are reflective of effective leadership at the manager level. Agencies struggling to improve quality of care might consider developing their managers' leadership skills.
Keywords
Contract Services/standards, Focus Groups, Home Care Services/standards, Leadership, Medicare, Nurses, Patient Care Team, Personnel Staffing and Scheduling, Professional Competence, Quality of Health Care, United States
URL
http://ir.uiowa.edu/nursing_pubs/1788
