Exploring barriers to employee voice among certified nursing assistants: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that voice-the communication of ideas, concerns, and perspectives by employees to those in positions to instigate changes-is related to job satisfaction, retention, and organizational improvement. Nevertheless, health care professionals often do not exercise voice. Although researchers have explored the barriers registered nurses working in hospitals experience in expressing their voices, there has been a notable lack of attention in research and practice to the voice of certified nursing assistants working in long-term care settings. PURPOSES: Ensuring that certified nursing assistants can exercise voice is essential for the welfare and well-being of this occupational group and critical for the success of their organizations. Therefore, we explore the barriers certified nursing assistants encounter that hinder them from exercising voice. METHODOLOGY: We conducted seven focus groups in which 24 Dutch certified nursing assistants participated. RESULTS: The results show that respondents were not always willing to exercise voice, which stemmed primarily from negative prior experiences with exercising voice. Respondents were further not always able to exercise voice, as the conditions under which they had to do so were unfavorable. Finally, respondents sometimes lacked the necessary skills to convey their ideas, concerns, and perspectives effectively. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our findings indicate that health care managers must address multiple factors if they wish to enhance the voice of certified nursing assistants.

The relationships between certified nursing assistants' voice behaviour and job satisfaction, work engagement and turnover intentions: A two-wave survey study.

AIM: Whereas voice behaviour has been identified as a key precursor to safe and high-quality patient care, little is known about how voice relates to key workforce outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between certified nursing assistants' perceived promotive voice behaviour (speaking up with suggestions for future improvement) and prohibitive voice behaviour (speaking up about problems or potentially harmful situations) and their self-reported levels of job satisfaction, work engagement and turnover intentions. DESIGN AND METHODS: Dutch certified nursing assistants were recruited for a two-wave survey study through non-random convenience sampling. The final sample contained 152 respondents. The data were analysed using multiple linear regression analyses. In all analyses, the dependent variable at time one was controlled for. RESULTS: Certified nursing assistants' promotive and prohibitive voice behaviour at time one were found to be positively related to their level of job satisfaction at time two while controlling for job satisfaction at time one. No relationships with work engagement or occupational turnover intentions were found. CONCLUSION: While previous research has found positive effects of voice on patient safety outcomes and team and organizational improvements in care organizations, we demonstrate that voice is also related to a key workforce outcome, that is, certified nursing assistants' job satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS AND IMPACT: Recognizing the interplay between voice behaviour and job satisfaction underscores the importance of creating work environments where certified nursing assistants feel able and willing to make their voices heard-with ideas and suggestions, as well as information regarding problems and concerns. PATIENT OR PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: Three certified nursing assistants have contributed to the development of the survey.

From Integrated Care to Integrating Care: A Conceptual Framework of Behavioural Processes Underlying Effective Collaboration in Care.

Introduction: At all levels, effective collaboration between actors with different backgrounds lies at the heart of integrated care. Much attention has been given to the structural features underlying integrated care, but even under structurally similar circumstances, the effectiveness of collaboration varies largely. Theory and methods: Social and organizational psychological research shows that the extent to which collaboration is effective depends on actors' behaviours. We leverage insights from these two research fields and build a conceptual framework that helps untangle the behavioural processes underlying effective collaboration. Results: We delineate that effective collaboration can be realized when actors (1) speak up about their interests, values, and perspectives (voice behaviour), (2) listen to the information that is shared by others, and (3) thoroughly process this information. We describe these behaviours and explain the motivations and conditions driving these. In doing so, we offer a conceptual framework that can be used to explain what makes actors collaborate effectively and how collaboration can be enhanced. Discussion and conclusion: Fostering effective collaboration takes time and adequate conditions, fitting the particular context. As this context continuously changes, the processes and conditions require continuous attention. Integrated care, therefore, actually requires a carefully designed process of integrating care.

'What you suggest is not what I expected': How pre-consultation expectations affect shared decision-making in patients with low back pain.

OBJECTIVE: Existing studies on shared decision-making (SDM) have hardly taken into consideration that patients could have independently developed expectations prior to their consultation with a healthcare provider, nor have studies explored how such expectations affect SDM. Therefore, we explore how pre-consultation expectations affect SDM in patients with low back pain. METHODS: We performed a qualitative study through telephone interviews with 10 patients and seven care professionals (physicians, nurse, physician assistants) and 63 in-person observations of patient-physician consultations in an outpatient clinic in the Netherlands. Transcripts were analyzed through an open coding process. RESULTS: A discrepancy existed between what patients expected and what care professionals could offer. Professionals perceived they had to undertake additional efforts to address patients' 'unrealistic' expectations while attempting SDM. Patients, in turn, were often dissatisfied with the outcomes of the SDM encounter, as they believed their own expectations were not reflected in the final decision. CONCLUSION: Unaddressed pre-consultation expectations form a barrier to constructive SDM encounters. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Patients' pre-consultation expectations need to be explored during the SDM encounter. To achieve decisions that are truly shared by care professionals and patients, patients' pre-consultation expectations should be better incorporated into SDM models and education.

Factors influencing newly graduated registered nurses' voice behaviour: An interview study.

AIM: To gain insight into the factors that affect newly graduated registered nurses' voice behaviour. BACKGROUND: Employees with little work experience may experience difficulties with speaking up. Given that a lack of voice can negatively affect the delivery of safe client care and lower nurses' job satisfaction, it is important to understand which factors facilitate and hinder newly graduated nurses' voice behaviour. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 17 newly graduated registered nurses working in inpatient hospital settings. RESULTS: In total, seven factors emerged from our data, which were grouped in four overarching themes. Whether newly graduated nurses speak up depends on (1) their levels of self-confidence, (2) whether they feel encouraged and welcome to speak up, (3) their relationship with the voice target and (4) the content of their voice message. CONCLUSION: Factors that affect newly graduated nurses' voice behaviour are multifaceted, but mostly centre around time spent in and relationships at the workplace. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers and colleagues can build an environment that fosters newly graduated nurses' voice behaviour. Specifically, induction programmes, assigning mentors and offering additional training can support newly graduated nurses in developing voice behaviour.

Exploring crucial programme characteristics and group mechanisms of an empowerment programme for certified nursing assistants-A qualitative study.

AIMS: To identify crucial programme characteristics and group mechanisms of, and lessons learned from hindrances in an empowerment programme for certified nursing assistants and contribute to the development of similar programmes in other care settings. DESIGN: Exploratory qualitative study. METHODS: Between May 2017 and September 2020, we used in-depth interviews and participant observations to study four groups participating in an empowerment programme for certified nursing assistants (N = 44). RESULTS: We identified three crucial empowerment-enhancing programme characteristics: (1) inviting participants to move outside their comfort zone of caregiving; (2) stimulating the use of untapped talents, competencies and interests; (3) supporting the rediscovery of participants' occupational role and worth. Crucial group mechanisms encompassed learning from and with each other, as well as mechanisms of self-correction and self-motivation. Hindrances included a perceived lack of direction, and a lack of organizational support and facilitation. CONCLUSION: We showed the significance of creating an inviting and stimulating environment in which participants can explore and function in ways they otherwise would not. Likewise, we identified how this can help participants learn from, critically correct and motivate one another. IMPACT: The programme under study was uniquely aimed to empower certified nursing assistants. Our insights on crucial programme characteristics and group mechanisms may benefit those who develop empowerment programmes, but also policymakers and managers in supporting certified nursing assistants and other nursing professions in empowerment endeavours. Such empowerment may enhance employee retention and make occupational members more likely to address challenges affecting their occupational group and the long-term care sector.