PubMed · 8428011
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
D A Peters. 1993. Improving quality requires consumer input: using focus groups.. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001786-199301000-00006
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
The purpose of this study was to describe the meaning of work for nurses employed in two state psychiatric hospitals. Nurses at both hospitals participated in designing and carrying out the research. In Phase I, nurses described situations in which they had been observers or participant observers and the way that they understood what was occurring in the situations described. The data from these descriptions were analyzed in collaboration with small groups of nurse co-investigators at each hospital. In Phase II, patterns of meaning identified in Phase I were checked and further refined based on focus groups and interviews with nurses at both hospitals. The interrelated dilemmas faced by nurses are discussed as (1) challenges in clinical decision making, (2) challenges regarding personal control, and (3) challenges of maintaining professional standards. Ways of meeting these challenges, coping, and making meaning are discussed in a companion article, "Meanings of State Hospital Nursing II: Coping and Making Meaning".
This study reports how nurse administrators may approach an evaluation of their quality management (QM) initiative. Suggestions are based on the current study of a multiclinic health care system's QM plan. Tips on designing the evaluation and recommendations on how to report results are provided. Collaboration with local university researchers is suggested as a way to strengthen the process.
The identification and measurement of service quality are critical factors that are responsible for customer satisfaction. This article identifies 11 attributes that define quality of care and patient satisfaction and reveals various gaps among the patient, physician, and administrator groups in the perceived importance of those dimensions. Managerial implications for patient-focused health care are discussed.