Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T13:55:15.557Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Restructuring a Rehabilitation Program for Older Adults: Effects on Patient Outcomes and Staff Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2013

Jennifer Klein*
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Tammy Hopper
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
*
*Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Jennifer Klein, Ph.D. Senior Research Consultant, Specialized Geriatrics Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital 11515 77 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6G 0M2 (jennifer.klein@ualberta.ca)

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-methods research study was to examine the impact of organizational change on patient outcomes and staff experiences in a rehabilitation program for older adults. Program restructuring focused on reducing patient length of stay and increasing admissions to the rehabilitation program. Study findings revealed that patients admitted after restructuring, as compared to the time period just prior, experienced shorter lengths of stay yet made similar progress towards rehabilitation goals. The average discharge Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores between the two time periods were not significantly different. Yet FIM efficiency scores improved after the restructuring. With this reorganization, rehabilitation staff reported working harder to help patients achieve satisfactory outcomes, although initially staff reported lower morale. Findings extend the current literature and have practical implications for health care professionals interested in facilitating successful organizational change.

Résumé

L’objectif de cette étude utilisant des méthodes mixtes était d’examiner l’impact du changement organisationnel sur les résultats pour les patients et les expériences du personnel dans un programme de réadaptation pour les personnes âgées. La restructuration du programme a mis l’accent sur la réduction de la longueur du séjour des patients et l’augmentation de l’admission dans le programme de réhabilitation. Les résultats de cette étude ont révélé que les patients admis après la restructuration, par rapport à la periode avant cette restructuration, ont connu des séjours plus courts, et pourtant ont réalisé des progrès similaires vers la réadaptation. Les scores moyens à la décharge, Mesure d’indépendence fonctionnelle (MIF), ne diffèrent pas significativement entre ces deux périodes. Pourtant, les scores d’efficience MIF sont améliorés après la restructuration. Avec cette réorganisation, le personnel de réadaptation ont déclaré travailler plus fort pour aider les patients à obtenir des résultats, même si, au départ, le personnel a signalé un abaissement de moral. Ces résultats étendent la littérature actuelle et offrent des implications pratiques pour les professionnels de la santé qui sont intéressés à faciliter le changement organisationnel réussi.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2012 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Armenakis, A., & Bedeian, A. (1999). Organizational change: A review of theory and research in the 1990s. Journal of Management, 25, 293315.Google Scholar
Barnett, W., & Carroll, G. (1995). Modeling internal organizational change. Annual Review of Sociology, 21, 217236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry-Walker, J. (2000). The impact of systems redesign on staff, patient, and financial outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration, 30(2), 7789.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chumney, D., Nollinger, K., Shesko, K., Skop, K., Spencer, M., & Newton, R.A. (2010). Ability of functional independence measure to accurately predict functional outcome of stroke-specific population: Systematic review. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 47, 1729.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cockrell, J.R., & Folstein, M.F. (1988). Mini mental state examination (MMSE). Psychopharmacology, 24, 689692.Google ScholarPubMed
Creswell, J.W., & Plano Clark, V.L. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publication, Inc.Google Scholar
Dobrez, D., Heinemann, A.W., Deutsch, A., Manheim, L., & Mallinson, T. (2010). Impact of Medicare’s prospective payment system for inpatient rehabilitation facilities on stroke patient outcomes. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 89(3), 198204.Google Scholar
Folstein, M.F., Folstein, S., & McHugh, P.R. (1975). “Mini-mental state.” A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillen, R.W., Tennen, H., & Eberhardt-McKee, T. (2007). The impact of inpatient rehabilitation facility prospective payment system on stroke program outcomes. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86, 356363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, T.G. (2011). Change-supportive employee behavior: Antecedents and the moderating role of time. Journal of Management, 37, 16641693.Google Scholar
McCloskey, B., & Diers, D. (2005). Effects of New Zealand’s health reengineering on nursing and patient outcomes. Medical Care, 43, 11401146.Google Scholar
Qualitative Solutions and Research. (1997). QSR NUD*IST user guide. London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Qu, H., Shewchuk, R.M., Chen, Y., & Deutsch, A. (2011). Impact of Medicare prospective payment system on acute rehabilitation outcomes of patients with spinal cord injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 92, 346351.Google Scholar
Reichers, A., Wanous, J., & Austin, J. (1997). Understanding and managing cynicism about organizational change. Academy of Management Executive, 11, 4859.Google Scholar
Rush, M., Schoel, W., & Barnard, S. (1995). Psychological resilience in the public sector; hardiness and pressure for change. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 46, 1739.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharp, N., Greiner, G., Li, Y., Mitchell, P., Sochalski, J., Cournoyer, P., & Sales, A. (2006). Nurse executive and staff nurse perceptions of the effects of reorganization in veterans health administration hospitals. Journal of Nursing Administration, 36, 471478.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silverman, D. (2000). Doing qualitative research: A practical handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Thorne, S., Reimer Kirkham, S., & MacDonald-Emes, J. (1997). Interpretive description: A noncategorical qualitative alternative for developing nursing knowledge. Research in Nursing & Health, 20, 169177.Google Scholar
Uniform Data Systems. (1999). Guide for the uniform data set for medical rehabilitation (Adult FIM), version 5.0. Buffalo, NY: State University of New York at Buffalo.Google Scholar
Walston, S., & Chou, A. (2006). Healthcare restructuring and hierarchical alignment: Why do staff and managers perceive change outcomes differently? Medical Care, 44(9), 879889.Google Scholar
Wanberg, C., & Banas, J. (2000). Predictors and outcomes of openness to changes in a reorganizing workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 132142.Google Scholar
Way, C., Gregory, D., Baker, N., Lefort, S., Barrett, B., & Parfrey, P. (2005). Attitudes and perceptions of registered nurses during and shortly after acute care restructuring in Newfoundland and Labrador. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 10(Suppl 2), 2230.Google Scholar
Woodward, C., Shannon, H., Cunningham, C., McIntosh, J., Lendrum, B., Rosenbloom, D., et al. (1999). The impact of re-engineering and other cost reduction strategies on the staff of a large teaching hospital: A longitudinal study. Medical Care, 37(6), 556569.Google Scholar
Wynne, R. (2003). Clinical nurses response to an environment of health care reform and organizational restructuring. Journal of Nursing Management, 11, 96106.Google Scholar