Employee Engagement in Quality Improvement and Patient Sociodemographic Characteristics in Federally Qualified Health Centers

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Olivia Jung, Emory University; Janet Cummings, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-08-24
• Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2022
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10775587221118157
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: MEDICAL CARE RESEARCH AND REVIEW
• Volume: 80
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 43
• End Page: 52
• Grant/Funding Information: We received financial support from Schmidt Futures for this research.
• Keywords: SYSTEM; SAFETY; federally qualified health centers; community health centers; Health Policy & Services; quality improvement; innovation contests; INNOVATION; CARE; Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; PERFORMANCE; Health Care Sciences & Services; underserved populations
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Health Care Management

Abstract

Quality improvement (QI) work is critical, particularly in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that treat underserved populations. In a national sample of 45 FQHCs, we examined how patients’ sociodemographic characteristics were associated with employee engagement in QI, via innovation contests that solicited ideas for improving care and offered opportunities to vote on ideas. We posited that patients’ sociodemographic characteristics influence the complexity and intensity of clinical work and thus employees’ capacity to engage in QI. Regression results indicated that the percentage of patients living in poverty was negatively associated with employee participation in idea submission and voting. Moreover, the percentage of Hispanic patients was negatively associated with participation in voting. The percentage of Black patients, however, was not associated with either outcome. FQHCs that serve a higher share of low income and/or Hispanic patients may face resource and personnel constraints that reduce employees’ capacity to contribute to QI efforts.