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
Copyright Status
Unknown
Socpus ID
84921523048 (Scopus)
Source API URL
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84921523048
STARS Citation
Hotchkiss, Renee Brent; Unruh, Lynn; and Fottler, Myron D., "The Role, Measurement, And Impact Of Volunteerism In Hospitals" (2014). Scopus Export 2010-2014. 8393.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/scopus2010/8393