THE IMPACT OF NURSING TEAM MEETINGS IN A CONTINUING CARE HEALTH FACILITY.
Contributors: Temple University.
Published: 1984
Number of pages: 156
Subjects: Education, Educational Psychology.; Psychology, Social.
Description: This study examined the impact of team meetings on nursing staff in a geriatric nursing facility. Specifically, team functioning, cohesion and job satisfaction were compared for teams of staff with meetings against teams without meetings. Pre- and post-test measures on team functioning were given to all staff over a three month treatment period. Team meetings were defined as forty-five minute, weekly meetings of all nursing staff regularly assigned to one floor and one shift, defined as a team, and covered any concerns or problems of that team with an emphasis on clearing up communication.

The setting of this study was the health facility of a large, urban cintinuing care community and included three floors, two for skilled nursing care and one for intermediate, of approximately fifty beds. Fifty-seven nursing staff of fifteen licensed nurses and forty-two nursing assistants were surveyed with thirty-four under treatment.

The design was a quasi-experimental, multi-group design with pre- and posttests. Teams without treatment were considered comparison groups. Variables tested were team functioning, cohesion and job satisfaction. Team functioning subscores were: appropriate leadership, suitable membership, commitment to the team, constructive climate, concern to achieve, clear corporate role, effective work methods, well-organized team procedures, critique without rancor, well-developed individuals, creative strength and positive intergroup relations (Francis and Young, 1979). Brief interviews, process data on each meeting and narrative questions on the post-test were also employed.

Significant results on the formal measures were interpreted through an analysis of covariance and t-test procedures. Differences between experimental and comparison groups were sought regarding changes in scores on the pre- and post-test measures.

Teams with meetings showed an increase in overall team functioning compared to teams without meetings but the difference only approached statistical significance at the .05 level. Appropriate leadership, effective work methods and critique without rancor, however, were found to improve significantly for teams with meetings. Narrative questions indicated that staff wanted the meetings to continue and suggested many benefits felt by members. Overall, the data supported a conclusion that team meetings did promote team functioning.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-01, Section: A, page: 0136.

Thesis (PH.D.)--TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, 1984.

School code: 0225.