| ARAMARK Healthcare has spent significant resources in its assumption that the I-Impact program for behavioral and cultural change, based on techniques developed by The Studer Group, leads to improved nursing satisfaction. The literature confirms that the nursing workplace, satisfaction, quality of care, and patient outcomes are connected phenomena that can be shaped by members of the care team.;This study is a qualitative analysis of nurses' perspectives, interactions, and working relationships with support services workers who have been trained using the I-Impact techniques. Focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted in two hospitals with a total of twenty participants to investigate if nurses perceive that the support service worker is a valued member of the clinical care team and that the I-Impact program has improved the nursing environment in the study locations.;The focus group and interview responses reveal that the I-Impact program has produced measurable benefits where the research was undertaken. Findings from these settings indicated that nurses found benefits including: collaboration, problem-solving, proactive communication, impact on nursing satisfaction, impact on patient outcomes, the service worker being viewed as a valued member of the care team, and several other beneficial attitudes. |
