Communication Disparities between Nursing Home Team Members

Timothy W. Farrell, Jorie M. Butler, Gail L. Towsley, Jacqueline S. Telonidis, Katherine P. Supiano, Caroline E. Stephens, Nancy M. Nelson, Alisyn L. May and Linda S. Edelman
Additional contact information
Timothy W. Farrell: Division of Geriatrics, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah, 30 N 1900 E, AB 193 SOM, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
Jorie M. Butler: Division of Geriatrics, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah, 30 N 1900 E, AB 193 SOM, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
Gail L. Towsley: College of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Jacqueline S. Telonidis: College of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Katherine P. Supiano: College of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Caroline E. Stephens: College of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Nancy M. Nelson: College of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Alisyn L. May: College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, 30 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Linda S. Edelman: College of Nursing, University of Utah, 10 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-8

Abstract: Optimal care in nursing home (NH) settings requires effective team communication. Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) interact with nursing home residents frequently, but the extent to which CNAs feel their input is valued by other team members is not known. We conducted a cross-sectional study in which we administered a communication survey within 20 Utah nursing home facilities to 650 team members, including 124 nurses and 264 CNAs. Respondents used a 4-point scale to indicate the extent to which their input is valued by other team members when reporting their concerns about nursing home residents. We used a one-way ANOVA with a Bonferroni correction. When compared to nurses, CNAs felt less valued (CNA mean = 2.14, nurse mean = 3.24; p < 0.001) when reporting to physicians, and less valued (CNA mean = 1.66, nurse mean = 2.71; p < 0.001) when reporting to pharmacists. CNAs did not feel less valued than nurses (CNA mean = 3.43, nurse mean = 3.37; p = 0.25) when reporting to other nurses. Our findings demonstrate that CNAs feel their input is not valued outside of nursing, which could impact resident care. Additional research is needed to understand the reasons for this perception and to design educational interventions to improve the culture of communication in nursing home settings.

Keywords: long-term care; nursing home; nurse staffing; interprofessional communication; care coordination; teamwork (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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