Logo image
Back
Predicting nurse willingness to speak up in the hospital setting using variables from an employee engagement survey
Dissertation   Open access

Predicting nurse willingness to speak up in the hospital setting using variables from an employee engagement survey

Nicole Hall
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2017
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-7480
pdf
Hall_Nicole_20176.76 MBDownloadView
PDF Open Access Open Access (License Unspecified)

Abstract

Medical errors Education Nursing
A recent calculation by healthcare industry researchers identified medical error as the third leading cause of death in the United States, ranking it just below heart disease and cancer. It is accepted knowledge that communication impacts the occurrence of medical error. Speaking up, a subset of communication, is similarly recognized as a means of improving patient safety. Industry consensus is that nurses are responsible for speaking up and expressing patient concerns, yet this practice has not been consistently realized and studies show that barriers remain. This study aimed to answer the following central research question: How can hospitals better support nurses to speak up when there is a patient care concern? The researcher utilized a mixed-methods approach that used examination of archival employee engagement (EE) data followed by interviews to expand on the quantitative findings. Archival EE data of inpatient hospital staff (n=321) revealed 21 variables that were strongly correlated to willingness to speak up. Interviewees expanded on these concepts, identifying five factors not previously addressed in the literature. Newly identified opportunities to support nurses in speaking up include a focus on quality/process improvement, organizational goals aligning with a nurse's goals, valuing employee voice, holding all accountable in an equitable manner, and capitalizing on the charge nurse role.

Metrics

47 File views/ downloads
66 Record Views

Details

Logo image