Improving long-term care services: insights from high-reliability organizations

Abstract

Purpose Long-term care (LTC) organizations have struggled to protect their vulnerable clients from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although various suggestions on containing outbreaks in LTC facilities have gained prominence, ensuring the safety of residents is not just a crisis issue. In that context, the authors must reasses the traditional management practices that were not sufficient for handling unexpected and demanding conditions. The purpose of this paper is to suggest rethinking the underlying attributes of LTC organizations and drawing insight from the parallels they have to high-reliability organizations (HROs). Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed qualitative data collected from a Canadian LTC facility to shed light on the current state of reliability practices and culture of the LTC industry and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the traditional management approaches. Findings To help the LTC industry develop the necessary crisis management capacity to tackle unexpected future challenges, there is an urgent need for adopting a more systemic top-down approach that cultivates mindfulness, learning and resilience. Originality/value This study contributes by applying the HRO theoretical lens in the LTC context. The study provides the LTC leaders with insights into creating a unified effort at the industry level to give rise to a high-reliability-oriented industry.

Staff Resiliency in Long-Term Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

“…Leadership and management emerged as a central theme in the data and were a key factor influencing resilience, with participants recognizing the need and value for regular communication and development of staff. These findings echo numerous previous studies, also noting the need for effective communication and responsiveness to staff needs [6][7][8]16,19]. Addressing communication, the establishment of regular team meetings fosters an environment of collaboration and idea sharing, thereby strengthening resilience [7,14,19,20].…”

“…These findings echo numerous previous studies, also noting the need for effective communication and responsiveness to staff needs [6][7][8]16,19]. Addressing communication, the establishment of regular team meetings fosters an environment of collaboration and idea sharing, thereby strengthening resilience [7,14,19,20]. The second subtheme, job satisfaction, also influences staff resilience.…”

“…External to the workplace, the support received from social networks, including friends and family [6,12] and the wider community [20] can play a critical role in boosting staff morale and resilience. The esteem and recognition obtained from these networks can foster a sense of value and motivation, thereby fortifying staff resilience further [6][7][8]16,19,20]. Moreover, the adverse impact of negative media and news on staff resilience raises a crucial area for healthcare leaders' intervention [18].…”

“…We begin by defining staff resilience and discussing frameworks. Next, we analyze barriers and challenges impacting LTCF staff resilience during COVID- 19.…”