| The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to understand communication between home healthcare managers and healthcare providers in small facilities. The research problem addressed a lack of communication between managers and subordinates, leading to ineffective decision-making in home healthcare. The research question was: what are the lived experiences of home healthcare professionals regarding communication between managers and subordinates to facilitate patient care turnover? The study was guided by a conceptual framework consisting of Communication Accommodation Theory, Human Relations Theory and the Systems Relations Theory. The research method consisted of one-on-one semi-structured interviews, containing ten open-ended questions to 16 participants in two home healthcare facilities. Results were coded to identify prominent themes. Five major themes were derived from the research. First, participants perceived that direct verbal/telephone communication was successful. Second, participants perceived that in-service training was the key to communication. Third, proper care could be communicated by using methods like a pillbox. Lastly, successful communication often occured when management issued an efficient plan of care. The study evaluated home healthcare communication by looking at what works and what does not. The study found that phone calls work better than emails and text messages. There remains room for improvements, such as looking at methods like Quality Assurance Performance (QAPI) or Situation Background Assessment (SBAR)). |
