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The Systems In Critical Access Hospitals Which Support Individual Patient Care Decisions, Darlene Alanna Christiansen

Ed.D. Dissertations

Health care in rural America has presented many challenges for health care organizations in ensuring patient autonomy in decision-making. Current literature has not reflected a distinction between the systems utilized in the general acute care hospital and the rural American critical access hospital to support the patient in the decision-making process. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the systems in place at a sample of critical access hospitals which support patient autonomy. Using a Grounded Theory method, data were collected and aggregated through an electronic survey tool and follow-up validation interviews. Recommendations include the development of staff …