Improving The Effectiveness Of Human Resources Practices Through Transforming Care At The Bedside

Abstract

In 2010, in an effort to increase patient involvement in decision-making about health care redesign, a Quebec university health care organization implemented the Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB). This article presents the results from a qualitative study exploring health professionals’ perceptions of TCAB and the effect on turnover and overtime. This descriptive, qualitative study utilized focus groups, individual interviews, and a review of administrative documents for data collection. Participants included hospital workers from five units implementing TCAB. The data generated by the interviews and focus groups were analyzed using NVivo with the method proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994). During the first year of implementation of TCAB, the team noted the importance of taking time to see the effects of the changes and thereby facilitate the involvement of other team members. A number of TCAB team members also cited communication as a facilitating element for informing team members of changes. According to the participants, the TCAB strategies that were implemented have had a positive impact on practice and on the work environment, and turnover showed an improvement. There was no change in absenteeism. TCAB has the potential to impact not only nurses’ work, but interprofessional team work as well, through changes that involve everyone. Future research should focus on how to support team members to reduce resistance to change and increase social support in order to implement and sustain changes.