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Welcome to the Web Site of the Supervisory-Staff Study
Study Overview
Research Issue
Lack of knowledge about effective management strategies for improving nursing home quality of care is identified as one of the highest priority areas for long-term care in Canada. The increasing numbers of aged in Canada will continue to require long-term care and complex continuing care facilities. The growing demand has focused attention on its human resource implications including the shortage of registered nurses and the increased reliance on health care aides. Despite these demands there is a paucity of research on ways to improve the nursing management practices in these facilities. This study will determine specific supportive management behaviors that can be linked to improved organizational and nursing outcomes in long-term care environments in Ontario.
Evidence Issue is Important to Managers & Policymakers
This research is of great interest to managers and policy makers in the current health care environment. It has generated interest in hospital nursing leaders and managers and has received strong endorsement from the directors of both the "for-profit" and "not-for-profit" long-term care associations in Ontario. Evidence is accumulating that the most meaningful leadership activities of a leader on the unit are not highly visible and include communication, team-building and developing supportive work environments. This study seeks to understand the factors that influence the unit managers' and charge nurses' ability to provide supportive work environments for care providers (RPNs & HCAs). Enhancing the supervisory relationships with long-term care providers may be the leverage required to impact residents' quality of care. An intervention study by McGilton focused on enhancing the relationships between residents and care providers, and between care providers and their supervisors. Care providers who were trained in a relationship-enhancing program of care (REPC) were able to improve their relationships with residents. In contrast, despite having a specific component focused on enhancing the supervisors' skills, there were no significant changes in the relationships between care providers and their supervisors. The lack of significant results was the main impetus for this study. This study will contribute to management policies and practices by understanding factors contributing to nursing supervisor/staff relationships in long-term care environments.
Projected Impact of Study Results on Management of Services or Policy
Policy makers, providers and managers are concerned about the quality of care in long-term care facilities in Canada. Chronic dissatisfaction with the quality of nursing home care has led to calls for reform in the provision of care. This study is an attempt to address these concerns by focusing on interpersonal relationships between care providers and supervisory personnel. The results of this study will provide long-term care organizations and policy makers with practical information concerning unit and organizational factors influencing supervisors' ability to be supportive and demonstrate what specific supportive behaviors influence outcomes. The investigators believe that if supervisors increase their supportive behaviors the result will be measurable positive changes in outcomes for residents living in long-term care. This research project is designed to increase our understanding about management practices in long-term care to a point where we are able to change patterns of practice with appropriate interventions.
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