PERCEIVED PATTERNS OF COORDINATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT BY PHYSICIANS AND NURSES IN AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO PATIENT CARE UNIT EFFECTIVENESS.
Contributors: University of Maryland, College Park.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 226
Subjects: Education, Administration.
Description: This study was conducted to determine whether any relationships exist between perceived patterns of use of programmed and feedback coordination modes in familiar and unfamiliar situations, use of six conflict management styles in handling differences of opinion among nurses, between nurses and physicians and between nurses and support unit personnel and patient care unit effectiveness in an academic medical center hospital. The use of coordination modes by physicians and nurses and their use of six conflict management styles in handling differences of opinion among physicians, among nurses, between physicians and nurses, and between nurses and support unit personnel was also investigated. It was hypothesized that nurses in the most and least effective patient care units would differ in their use of coordination modes and conflict management styles. It was also hypothesized that physicians and nurses would not differ in their use of coordination modes. It was further hypothesized that physicians and nurses would differ in their perceived use of conflict management styles across several situations.

Patient care unit effectiveness data was collected by questionnaire from nursing service administrators, housestaff, and attending physicians. Questionnaires used to collect data on the use of coordination modes and conflict management styles were returned by 369 registered nurses, 128 housestaff and 120 attending physicians.

Findings indicated that there was no relationship between the use of coordination modes and patient care unit effectiveness. Physicians and nurses differed in their use of coordination modes depending on the familiarity of the situation. Overall, there was no relationship between conflict management styles and patient care unit effectiveness but nurses differed in their use of conflict management styles across the three situations. Physicians and nurses differed in their use of unilateral action, smoothing and confronting. Finally, housestaff and attending physicians differed in their use of the conflict management styles when handling differences of opinion among physicians and between nurses and physicians.

There was no relationship between the use of coordination modes, conflict management styles and patient care unit effectiveness. The results of the investigation of conflict management styles indicate that the use of conflict management styles varies with the situation.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-02, Section: A, page: 0362.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, 1985.

School code: 0117.