Researchers indentified three practices hospitals should implement to improve clinical work behavior and provide better care for patients, according to Science Daily.
Researchers discussed the importance of the HR department and its policies in a study titled "The Relationship between HR Capabilities and Quality of Patient Care: The Mediating Role of Proactive Work Behaviors," published by Human Resource Management.
Naresh Khatri, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Health Management and Informatics at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and co-author of the study, and his team surveyed senior management from more than 450 hospitals across the nation. The survey consisted of a series of questions related to the relationship between a hospital's CEO and its HR department, the leadership within the HR department and the quality of patient care.
Here are the three policies hospitals should implement to cultivate exemplary patient care, according to the study.
1. A hospital's CEO must be the people's champion and reiterate the importance of the HR department.
2. The HR director must maintain a clear vision for the department and must detail how they plan to use HR to enhance hospital performance.
3. The department must also maintain professional and competent employees capable of "modifying, reconfiguring and renewing HR practices and systems as needed," according to the article.