Communication Disparities between Nursing Home Team Members

Area of Science:

• Healthcare communication
• Nursing home quality improvement
• Team dynamics in elder care

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial for optimal nursing home (NH) care.
• Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) have frequent resident contact but their perceived value within the healthcare team is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess how Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) perceive the value of their input compared to nurses within nursing home settings.
• To identify potential communication barriers impacting interprofessional collaboration and resident care.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 650 NH team members (124 nurses, 264 CNAs) across 20 Utah facilities.
• A 4-point scale measured perceived value of input when reporting resident concerns.
• One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was used for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• CNAs reported feeling significantly less valued than nurses when reporting to physicians (p < 0.001) and pharmacists (p < 0.001).
• No significant difference in perceived value was found when CNAs reported to other nurses (p = 0.25).
• CNAs reported lower mean values (2.14) compared to nurses (3.24) when reporting to physicians.

Conclusions:

• CNAs perceive their input as undervalued by non-nursing healthcare professionals in NH settings.
• This disparity in perceived value may negatively affect communication and potentially resident care.
• Further research is needed to explore underlying reasons and develop interventions to foster a more inclusive communication culture.