Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

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Open Access Thesis

Abstract

This multimethod study examined three hypotheses and two research questions: (H1a) Interdisciplinary collaborative communication is positively related to hospice nurses’ experience of job satisfaction in the context of team-based care, (H1b) Interdisciplinary collaborative communication is negatively related to nurses’ experience of burnout in the context of team-based care, (H2) Interdisciplinary collaborative communication is negatively related to nurses’ intent to leave their organization, (RQ1) How does interdisciplinary collaborative communication influence hospice nurses’ experience of job satisfaction and burnout in the context of team-based care?, (RQ2) How does work site influence hospice nurses’ experience of job satisfaction and burnout in the context of team-based care?

Quantitative measures were used to explore hypotheses, and qualitative measures were used to explore research questions. Forty-six hospice nurses working primarily in hospice facilities, nursing facilities, or patients’ homes located in four Midwestern states completed the web-based survey that included consent information; demographic questions; and items for job satisfaction, burnout, intent to leave the organization, and interdependence and flexibility within interdisciplinary teams. All survey items excluding consent and demographics were measured using a five-point scale based on agreement where (1 = strongly agree and 5 = strongly disagree). Sixteen hospice nurses working primarily in hospice facilities, nursing facilities, or patients’ homes located in four Midwestern states participated in a semi-structured phone interview lasting approximately thirty minutes. All interviews were recorded and conducted after receiving verbal consent. Interview questions focused on nurses’ experience with their organization, duties, communication and collaboration with their team, and feelings about their work experience.

I analyzed the quantitative data using correlation tests, which showed insignificant results for H1a, H1b, and H2. However, use of interdependence and flexibility within interdisciplinary teams was positively related to nurses’ experience of job satisfaction. This means that use of collaborative acts such as interdependence and flexibility within interdisciplinary teams was related to nurses’ experience of job satisfaction. In addition, use of interdependence and flexibility within interdisciplinary teams was negatively related to nurses’ experience of burnout. As such, use of interdependence and flexibility was related to nurses’ decreased experiences of burnout and intentions to leave their organization. These results provide broad insight into nurses’ work experience, whereas the qualitative interviews were used to provide depth and detail into nurses’ experiences and quantitative findings.

Using a thematic analysis, I analyzed qualitative data from which four themes emerged: relationships within teams, access and immediacy of communication, communication channels and technology, and location of work and time of work shift. Pertaining to RQ1, data indicated that interdisciplinary communication and collaboration impacted the quality-of-care nurses provided to patients, which in turn impacted their own satisfaction and experience of burnout. Pertaining to RQ2, data indicated that nurses communicated with different people depending on where care was provided, and they expressed more satisfaction when communication contributed to quality care for patients.

Year of Submission

2021

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Communication and Media

First Advisor

Tom Hall, Chair

Date Original

7-2021

Object Description

1 PDF file (vi, 92 pages)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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