Title

Valuing Volunteers: The Impact Of Volunteerism On Hospital Performance

Keywords

Hospitals; Performance; Volunteerism

Abstract

Volunteers have been present in healthcare settings for centuries. However, there is little empirical evidence regarding the impact that volunteers make on hospital performance. Since the 1990s, hospitals in the United States have had a great deal of pressure to produce high quality care at minimum expense. These pressures have enhanced the benefits of using volunteers in a hospital setting. This study utilized multiple regression analysis to explore the impact of volunteers and the professionalism of the volunteer function on cost effectiveness and patient satisfaction in hospitals. Hospitals throughout the state of Florida were invited to participate in the study by completing a brief questionnaire about their volunteer programs. Performance indicators of volunteer cost savings and patient satisfaction scores for 50 Florida hospitals were analyzed using American Hospital Association and Agency for Health Care Administration data sets along with data obtained from a questionnaire. Results indicate that the use of volunteers offer significant cost savings to hospitals. Furthermore, the assignment of volunteers in patient settings can enhance a hospital’s patient satisfaction scores. Future research opportunities related to the impact of volunteers and volunteer professionalism on other performance measures as well as managerial implications are suggested.

Publication Date

1-1-2008

Publication Title

Academy of Management 2008 Annual Meeting: The Questions We Ask, AOM 2008

Number of Pages

-

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2008.33725078

Socpus ID

85088186229 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85088186229

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