| The research investigated the effect of nursing subunit technology and organizational structure on the effectivness of such subunits. Data was collected from 34 nursing subunits in three general hospitals with complete data obtained from 27 subunits. A total of 187 nursing personnel and 340 patients participated in the study.;Technology was defined as the acts employed by nursing personnel to change individuals from being hospitalized to being discharged and was measured using the Overton, Schneck, and Hazlett (Administrative Science Quarterly, 1977) instrument. Three dimensions of technology emerged through factor analysis: instability, variability, and uncertainty. Cluster analysis of factor scores identified four technological groups: general care, specialty care, critical care with variable patient types, and critical care with stable patient types.;Structure was defined as the allocation of work roles and administrative mechanisms used to control and integrate work activities. It was measured by an instrument Leifer and Huber (Administrative Science Quarterly, 1977) employed to measure the flexibility of structure and an instrument developed in this research to measure nursing assignment patterns. Factor analysis of the flexibility of structure data produced three dimensions of structure: vertical participation, horizontal participation, and formalization. Cluster analysis of the factor scores of these dimensions suggested three structural groups: flexible, semi-flexible, and inflexible. The investigation of nursing assignment patterns identified three types of subunits: those employing predominately primary nursing, those using a combination of primary, team, and functional nursing, and those employing predominately functional nursing.;Effectiveness was defined as the quality of care delivered on nursing subunits and was measured using the Rush-Medicus Nursing Process Monitoring Methodology. The research provided a basis for selecting the dimensions of structure for delivery of nursing care that are appropriate to the dimensions of technology in a particular nursing subunit in order to maximize quality of nursing care. |
