Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2008

Abstract

Home health care organizations are met with many challenges including hiring the most effective practitioners, providing continual organizational support, and keeping well informed on factors that produce a successful working alliance. This quantitative study focuses on (1) the role of the practitioner in affecting the working alliance, and (2) the organizational support that creates a work culture conducive to a strong practitioner-patient working alliance.(3) identifying factors that influence the working alliance and also providing insight to the organization for better hiring practices. Our findings indicate that practitioner experience and organizational support appear to exhibit a primary role in the working alliance with the influence of reciprocal care giving. We found the type of care giving experience, years of experience, and prior experience have a relationship to the dependent variable the working alliance. The study posits that the common practice of hiring practitioners with ample hospital experience and seasoned in the field may not be the best fit for the home healthcare profession. The tightly structured hospital setting with performances bound by policies, procedures, and protocol keep the practitioner practicing in a rigidly defined culture. They may lack the flexibility and independence often required in home healthcare practice.

Keywords

home care services--administration, medical partnership, working alliance, reciprocal care giving, organizational support, experience.

Rights

© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Department/Center

Design & Innovation

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