Health Care Manager

As health care leader competencies continue to be refined and emphasized in health care administration educational programs, the "soft skills" of emotional intelligence have often been implied, but not included explicitly. The purpose of this study was to better understand what relationship, if any, could be identified between health care leader competencies and emotional intelligence. A quantitative correlational method of study was used, utilizing self-assessments and 360-degree assessments of both constructs...

Ethical issues related to electronic health records (EHRs) confront health personnel. Electronic health records create conflict among several ethical principals. Electronic health records may represent beneficence because they are alleged to increase access to health care, improve the quality of care and health, and decrease costs. Research, however, has not consistently demonstrated access for disadvantaged persons, the accuracy of EHRs, their positive effects on productivity, nor decreased costs. Should beneficence be universally acknowledged, conflicts exist with other ethical principles...

Falls can have lasting psychological and physical consequences, particularly fractures and slow- healing processes, and patients may also lose confidence in walking. Injuries from falls lead to functional decline, institutionalization, higher health care costs, and decreased quality of life. The process related to the problem of patient falls in the hospital, using the nursing model developed by the theorist, Ida Jean Orlando, is explained in this article. The useful tool that provides guidance to marketers in this endeavor is Maslow's hierarchy of needs...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The purpose of this article is to describe a step-by-step process for decision making, and a model is developed to aid health care managers in making more quality decisions, which ultimately determines the success of organizations. The DECIDE model is the acronym of 6 particular activities needed in the decision-making process: (1) D = define the problem, (2) E = establish the criteria, (3) C = consider all the alternatives, (4) I = identify the best alternative, (5) D = develop and implement a plan of action, and (6) E = evaluate and monitor the solution and feedback when necessary...

With the continuous rise of sentinel and adverse events due to ineffective communication, it is time for health care organizations to start implementing a focus on enhancing effective communication in which will, in turn, improve patient safety and experience, boosting the bottom line. This article identifies and discusses different communication protocols that can be used to enhance the consistency of more efficient and effective communication within a health care organization to overall improve patient care and patient satisfaction...

The purpose of this research was to study night shift work and its health effects on nurses. This was a quantitative study using descriptive design; it also incorporated three qualitative open-ended questions to complement the study. The data were collected using Survey Monkey, with an Internet based confidential data collection tool. The population of relevance to this study was nurses employed in hospital settings in the United States. E-mail addresses and Facebook were used to recruit participants. Results indicated that there is an increased risk of sleep deprivation, family stressors, and mood changes because of working the night shift...

Management in nursing is in a state of revolution based on positive transformational changes. Effective leadership on individual nursing units directly affects nursing staff satisfaction. Employees are interested in managers who can lead in a positive and encouraging manner. Nurses who are content in their positions correlate to a reduction in staff turnover and improve retention. When the nursing staff are satisfied with their employment, patient satisfaction rises. Health care organizations can see this trickle-down effect through increases in patient satisfaction scores over time...

Bed rest or immobilization is frequently part of treatment for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with critical illness. The average ICU length of stay (LOS) is 3.3 days, and for every day spent in an ICU bed, the average patient spends an additional 1.5 days in a non-ICU bed. The purpose of this research study was to analyze the effects of early mobilization for patients in the ICU to determine if it has an impact on the LOS, cost of care, and medical complications. The methodology for this study was a literature review...

The purpose of this article is to discuss the need to provide culturally sensitive care to the growing number of diverse health care consumers. A literature review of national standards and research on cultural competency was conducted and specifically focused on the field of nursing. This study supports the theory that cultural competence is learned over time and is a process of inner reflection and awareness. The domains of awareness, skill, and knowledge are essential competencies that must be gained by health care providers and especially for nurses...

Recruiting and training 1 newly hired registered nurse can cost thousands of dollars. With a high percentage of these newly hired nurses leaving their first place of employment within their first year, the financial implications may be enormous. It is imperative that health care facilities invest in recruiting and retention programs that retain high-quality nurses. Mentorship programs in retaining and easing the transition to practice for new graduate nurses, re-entry nurses, and nurses new to a specialty area are critical in nurse retention...

As health care professionals practice as a team, they take on responsibilities that are specific to their roles-responsibilities that are recognized and understood by the team and management as pertaining to their professional domain and expertise. Is advocacy part of the role of the nurse? Members of the nursing profession commonly maintain that it is, but is there a consensus on this issue, both within the profession and among other stakeholders? Is there a clear understanding of the term advocacy, and is this reflected in Codes of Practice and research into practice? An examination of significant documents and reports of empirical research reveals conflicting conceptions and opinions...

Concerns about patient bedside change-of-shift reporting at a community hospital in northern Indiana stimulated the development of this qualitative phenomenological study. A review of the literature revealed a research deficit in acute care nurses' perceptions of bedside reporting in relation to compliance. The research question addressed in this study was, "What are acute care nurses' perceptions of the change-of-shift report at the patients' bedside?" Personal interviews were conducted on 7 medical, surgical, and intensive care unit nurse participants at a community hospital in northern Indiana...

This article introduces health care managers to the theories and philosophies of John Kotter and William Bridges, 2 leaders in the evolving field of change management. For Kotter, change has both an emotional and situational component, and methods for managing each are expressed in his 8-step model (developing urgency, building a guiding team, creating a vision, communicating for buy-in, enabling action, creating short-term wins, don't let up, and making it stick). Bridges deals with change at a more granular, individual level, suggesting that change within a health care organization means that individuals must transition from one identity to a new identity when they are involved in a process of change...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Most health care employees experience and are bolstered by compassion satisfaction as they deal with patients in need. However, the more empathetic a health care provider is, the more likely he or she will experience compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a negative syndrome that occurs when dealing with the traumatic experiences of patients, and examples of symptoms include intrusive thoughts, sleeping problems, and depression. Compassion fatigue is different from burnout. Compassion fatigue is a rapidly occurring disorder for primary health care workers who work with suffering patients, whereas burnout, a larger construct, is a slowly progressing disorder for employees who typically are working in burdensome organizational environments...

Communication is perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing managers and leaders today. Clearly articulating ideas and expectations to employees is vital to the productivity and the longevity of an organization. Furthermore, the style in which the communication is delivered has an influence on the satisfaction levels of employees. Research has discovered that there are many different styles in which a leader may communicate with employees. Research has provided several methods that aid in determining which style is the most appropriate for any given circumstance...

The success of a health care institution-as defined by delivering high-quality, high-value care, positive patient outcomes, and financial solvency-is inextricably tied to the culture within that organization. The ability to achieve and sustain alignment between its mission, values, and everyday practices defines a positive organizational culture. An institution that has a diminished organizational culture, reflected in the failure to consistently align management and clinical decisions and practices with its mission and values, will struggle...

The nursing shortage has received much media attention; however, something that contributes to it-nurse turnover-has not received the same attention. Facilities spend time and money to train new employees only to have them leave within a few months. Staff morale, money, time, and quality of care are all affected by nurse turnover. The fact that it often occurs so soon after one takes a position makes it pertinent to look at the process of transition into the new position, namely, the orientation program. This article examines the turnover statistics, costs, rationale, and orientation programs that have proven positive results...