Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Security Practices Of Registered Nurses, Beth Ann Savage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased breach occurrences in healthcare cause concern for health information as reported by the Federal Government. Significant effort, regulations, and safeguards are in place to protect the systems used in the healthcare industry. Employee handling of security remains an area of vulnerability related to security protocols. The unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT) served as the model for this qualitative exploratory study with the purpose of understanding registered nurse (RN) perceptions and lived experiences related to IT security. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 participants from the Three Rivers Chapter American Association Critical Care Nurses. Transcribed data …

The Impact Of Adaptive Leadership Capacity On Complex Organizational Health Systems Outcomes, Laura Lentenbrink

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonlinear and chaotic environmental changes characterize health services organizations as complex adaptive systems in which leaders must exercise non-traditional leadership practices to succeed. Health services leaders who have learned and implemented traditional linear management approaches are ill prepared to lead in complex environments. This study tested complexity and adaptive leadership theories of agility and resilience in complex health systems. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional internet-based survey study was to quantify relationships between independent variables of agility and resilience and secondary dependent variables of financial, patient satisfaction, quality and human capital outcomes. The impact of turbulence was also examined. Included …

An Educational Program About Living With Depression, Ngozi Gloria Okoro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression is a common and disabling mental illness, but the loneliness, isolation, and poor quality of life associated with depression may improve with treatment. Depressive patients adhere to their treatment and experience better outcomes when their family members are involved with their treatment. At the project mental health facility, patients with depression had the highest non-compliance rate to treatment and no educational program existed for their families. This observation led to the current practice-focused question which examined how an evidenced-based educational program can be developed for family members or caregivers of patients diagnosed with depression. The purpose of this project …

Healthcare Executive Leadership Development And Succession Planning, Robin Ford Dillard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders face leadership crises as executives from the baby boomer generation retire, creating a shortage of experienced and knowledgeable leaders. Some business leaders are unprepared for the replacement of retiring senior-level executives and lack strategies for succession planning. The findings of this study indicate succession planning and leadership development play a significant role in preparing future healthcare leaders in their ability to improve the quality of patient care and improve the strategic and financial health of the organization. Guided by the human capital theory the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by healthcare …

Strategies To Reduce Effects Of Organizational Stress In Health Care Workplaces, Kate Chinyere Mbidoaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace stress has become a frequent occurrence in the race for competitive business advantage. This stress leads to negative physiological consequences in the workplace, causing productivity and profitability to suffer. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the stress management strategies that some health care business leaders used to reduce the effects of work-related stress on their employees to improve productivity. The interview process included 3 managers employed at a health care institution in Houston, Texas, with records of implementing successful strategies for mitigating the effects of workplace stress. The conceptual framework was job demands-resources model, pertinent …

Hospital Administrators' Strategies For Reducing Delayed Hospital Discharges And Improving Profitability, Sheree Boyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inefficiencies in leadership and limited leadership strategies in hospitals contribute to delayed hospital discharges and an increased financial burden on a hospital. Three administrators from 2 hospitals who are part of a hospital conglomerate in Chicago, Illinois were selected for interview in this qualitative multiple case study to explore how hospital discharge strategies reduce delayed hospital discharges and improve profitability. Contingency was the primary theoretical theory for this study. The purposive sampling consisted of the selections of individual who were knowledgeable and had experience to organize, manage, and implement processes in an organization. Data collection occurred using face-to-face semistructured interviews, …

Strategies To Improve Corporate Financial Investment In Care Coordination Programs, Shameka Coles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Key drivers for care coordination programs may include reducing inflated health care cost and improving the quality of care for high-risk populations. However, health care leaders lack methods to support financial investment in care coordination programs. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that health care leaders use to improve corporate financial investment in care coordination programs that include the triple aim of reducing cost, improving population health, and increasing patient satisfaction. The triple aim model provided the conceptual framework for the study in which 6 health care leaders from Southern California with experience garnering …

Managerial Strategies For Improving Employee Engagement: A Single Case Study, Ann-Marie Alcala

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2013, 1% of Medicare reimbursements were withheld from U.S. hospitals, with a

proposed cap of 2% in 2017 for redistribution to those hospitals that improve overall care and patient satisfaction. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the engagement strategies that some hospital middle managers used to improve employee performance to increase patient satisfaction. The sample included 4 health care middle managers in 1 hospital in northeast Connecticut. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was Kahn's personal engagement theory. Data were collected via semistructured interviews, participant observations, and review of hospital and public government documents. …

Collaborative Strategies Used To Reduce Billing Administrative Cost, Stella Fayomi-Olaleye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Billing inefficiencies represent 80% of wasteful healthcare administrative costs that are projected to reach $45 billion by 2018. Potentially, a reduced billing administrative cost is estimated to yield an annual savings of $60 billion that could fund other societal needs such as jobs, wage increases, and education. Through the conceptual framework of iceberg change management model, this single case study explored collaborative strategies 3 healthcare billing managers in Dallas, Texas successfully used to reduce billing administrative costs. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and the review of company documents. Using Yin's procedure of examining, comparing, categorizing, and coding data, the …

How Does Organizational Culture Impact Rn Engagement, Veronica Anntionette Ruffin-Ellis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of RN engagement in the acute care setting can result in poor staffing, nursing shortages, increased stress levels for nurses and decreased morale. When nurses are not engaged in their work setting, quality of care suffers. A wide range of literature focuses on the importance of RN engagement; however, few health care organizations have taken the initiative to implement programs that foster RN engagement, demonstrating a gap in practice. This study examined the relationship between the levels of RN engagement and their perceptions of their organizational culture. Kolcaba's humanistic approach to meeting the needs of RN staff was used …

Exploring Customer Service Through Hospital Management Strategies, Delores Leonard Leonard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient demand for a better quality of healthcare and services has increased as insurance companies have decreased payments to hospitals. The purpose of this qualitative single exploratory case study was to explore hospital managers' strategies to improve customer service. Data were gathered from semistructured interviews with 5 hospital managers who implemented customer service strategies in their hospital systems, hospital policy and procedure documents, and qualitative data from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Hospital Compare website. Expectation-confirmation theory served as the conceptual framework that grounded the study. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation, and 3 themes emerged: the …

Adherence Barriers To Healthcare For African Americans With Hiv/Aids On Antiretroviral Medications, Angela Bumphus Corbin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine the role of adherence barriers to healthcare and the impact that such barriers have on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) compliance for African Americans living with HIV/AIDS. HAART helps reduce HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality. Of the 49% of study participants who had been out of medical care for more than 12 months, financial concerns were listed as the most common barrier (22.8%). Not having the support from family and friends (17.5%), being tired of going to doctor appointments (15.8%), health challenges (12.3%), lack of transportation (12.3%), and incarceration (12.3%) …