Poster - #UCDH29 - Best People and Practice, Best Patient Experience, Research

A Culture of Caring: The Intersection of Hospital Housekeeping Staff and Person-Centered Care

Nicole Vance, MS, RN, CCRN
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing UC Davis Health Pediatric ICU

ABSTRACT
This mixed-methods exploratory study (in progress) explores the experiences and perceptions of hospital housekeeping staff, how they interact with patients, and how they perceive their impact on patient care. There is increasing recognition of hospital housekeeping staff as frontline workers. There are anecdotal reports that detail housekeeping staff giving mental, emotional, and spiritual support to patients, yet little is known about this phenomenon. A total of eight housekeeping staff participated in semi-structured interviews ranging from 30–60 minutes and 44 people took part in an online survey. Participants ranged from 20 to 62 years old, were from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and had worked at the participating hospital from 4 months to over 20 years. The themes that emerged revealed a widespread culture of caring among housekeeping staff where they build meaningful connections and trust with patients. Recognizing their role as unique, they often act as a bridge between patients and the rest of the healthcare team and provide a listening ear to patients and their families. Witnessing the suffering of patients is viewed as a part of their job, and they are impacted in similar ways as other healthcare staff. Participants were unanimous in describing the importance of cleanliness but believed that their impact is “more than just cleaning.” Many spoke of an awareness of an invisible hierarchy within healthcare that they found themselves on the bottom of. They saw the care of the patients as part of their job whether it was recognized or not. Greater recognition and support is needed for these members of the healthcare team and further research is needed to explore these unique connections and the impact they have on the patient experience.