The importance of relational coordination for integrated care delivery to older patients in the hospital

Abstract

Aim: This study investigated relational coordination among professionals providing healthcare to hospitalized elderly and assessed its impact on integrated care delivery. Background: Previous studies have shown that relational coordination is positively associated with the delivery of acute, emergency and trauma care. According to this theory, coordination that occurs through frequent, high-quality communication supported by relationships of shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect enable an organization to achieve better task integration. However, the effect of relational coordination on integrated care delivery to hospitalized elderly remains unknown. Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of an examination of integrated care delivery to hospitalized elderly. Data were collected using questionnaires distributed to hospital professionals (192 respondents; 44% response rate). Relational coordination was measured by the Relational Coordination survey, which included questions about communication and relationships with others involved in delivering care to hospitalized older patients. The Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) assess the integration of several components of the Chronic Care Model (CCM; selfmanagement support, delivery system design, decision support, and clinical information systems). Since chronic illness care for hospitalized elderly contains several interacting components, we generalized the ACIC as a measure of integrated care delivery for hospitalized older patients.

Performance management in context: formative cross-functional performance monitoring for improvement and the mediating role of relational coordination in hospitals

“…This corresponds with findings from other studies (e.g. Hartgerink et al 2014;Havens et al 2010) and supports the viewpoint that perceptions of coordination are weaker across contested boundaries that are also associated with power and status differentials (Abbott 1988). The findings also show that perceptions of patient care are significantly lower among direct care…”

Safety Strategies for Care in the Home

“…Once admitted to hospital, older adults are at an increased risk of poor outcomes such as readmission, increased length of stay, functional decline, iatrogenic complications and nursing home placement (Lang et al 2008a ;Hartgerink et al 2014 ). The primary goals for care in the home are to avoid rehospitalisation and maintain a good quality of life.…”

Relational coordination among home healthcare professions and goal attainment in nursing care

“…The authors measured interprofessional coordination with the Japanese version of the RCS (RCS‐J; Naruse, Sakai, & Nagata, ). The RCS is a valid and reliable measure that has already been applied to home care (Weinberg, Lusenhop, Gittell, & Kautz, ), primary care (Cramm & Nieboer, , ; Cramm, Hoeijmakers, & Nieboer, ), and hospital settings (Hartgerink et al ., , ; Havens, Vasey, Gittell, & Lin, ). Seven items of the RCS‐J encompass three relationship dimensions and four communication dimensions rated on a 5 point Likert scale.…”