Title

The Role, Measurement, And Impact Of Volunteerism In Hospitals

Keywords

clinical quality; cost savings; health care volunteers; lay volunteers; professional volunteers; service quality; volunteerism

Abstract

Volunteer programs are expected to positively impact the organizations in which they exist. This article reviews the literature on volunteerism, including what volunteers do, how their contributions can be measured, and the financial- and quality-related outcomes of volunteer programs. The focus is on volunteerism in health care settings, particularly hospitals. The article summarizes the existing theoretical and empirical literature concerning the roles of volunteers, the economic value of volunteers, cost–benefit analysis of volunteer labor, and the impact of volunteers on quality and patient satisfaction. The review indicates that the use of volunteers offers significant cost savings to hospitals and may positively impact profit margins. Volunteers are also likely to enhance quality indicators such as patient satisfaction and safety. Implications of these findings for management and future research are discussed.

Publication Date

12-26-2014

Publication Title

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly

Volume

43

Issue

6

Number of Pages

1111-1128

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764014549057

Socpus ID

84921523048 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84921523048

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