Keywords

Relational coordination, coordination of care, nurse, patient outcomes, quality

Abstract

Healthcare quality remains a significant issue due to fragmentation of care in our complex U.S. healthcare systems. While coordination of care is foundational to healthcare quality as well as identified as a National Priority, fragmentation and uncoordinated care continues to afflict our systems. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between relational coordination and adverse nurse sensitive patient outcomes, namely hospital acquired pressure ulcers, patient falls with injury, catheter- associated urinary tract infection, and central line-associated blood stream infection. A retrospective correlational survey design using cross sectional data was used to conduct this quantitative study. An electronic relational coordination survey was sent to 1124 eligible registered nurses from 43 nursing units within a 5-hospital magnet-designated healthcare system to gather their perception of the strength of relationship and communication ties of their work team. The nurse practice environment as well as nurse education were control variables. With 406 nurses who completed the survey (36% response rate), findings revealed that the stronger relational coordination ties are amongst the healthcare team, the lower the rate of adverse nurse sensitive patient outcomes as indicated by their inverse relationship. (rs=-.31, p=.050). In a Negative Binomial Regression model, relational coordination was a significant predictor (?-1.890, p=.034) of nurse sensitive patient outcomes whereas nurse education level (p=.859) and nurse practice environment (p=.230) were not. Data affirms that relational coordination, a relationship and communication intensive form of coordination does impact patient outcomes. This research provides significant information to health care leaders and institutions with goals of improving patient care outcomes through enhancement of coordination of care and optimization of healthcare teams.

Notes

If this is your thesis or dissertation, and want to learn how to access it or for more information about readership statistics, contact us at STARS@ucf.edu

Graduation Date

2015

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Andrews, Diane

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Nursing

Department

Nursing

Degree Program

Nursing

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0005939

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0005939

Language

English

Release Date

12-15-2016

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Nursing; Nursing -- Dissertations, Academic

Download

Included in

Nursing Commons

Share

COinS