Browsing by Author "Goering, Elizabeth"

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    Assessing Communication Effectiveness in Interprofessional Healthcare Teams
    (2019-07) Binion, Kelsey Elizabeth; Brann, Maria; Goering, Elizabeth; Hoffmann-Longtin, Krista
    Interprofessional education and practice is a collaborative approach in equipping health professional students with the skills to become effective team members to improve patient outcomes. This research study used a grounded theory approach to identify the communication characteristics and behaviors that influenced a team’s communication effectiveness. Two-hundred and twenty-two students participated in an interprofessional simulation at a Midwestern university. Ninety-two standardized patients assessed the students’ communication skills and their ability to collaborate as a team using a CARE Patient Feedback form, which served as data for the study. The study found four characteristics of effective interprofessional team experiences: aware of the patient’s situation, participate in the interaction equally, create a safe space, and nurture and strengthen a relationship. Students demonstrated an increase in communication effectiveness between encounter one and two; teams worked collaboratively rather than individually; students demonstrated five of the eight IPEC communication competencies; and negative and positive behaviors had a significant impact on patient outcomes. This study informs educators the need for repeated exposure of interprofessional practice experiences, such as simulation activities. These opportunities allow students to practice, learn, and refine their communication skills before entering their clinical practice.
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    College Students Perceptions of Quarantine and Social Distancing Methods in the Event of an Influenza Pandemic
    (2007-06-23T20:26:31Z) Baker, Kylene Joy; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Sandwina, Ronald; Goering, Elizabeth
    In the event of another pandemic influenza, it will be important to understand the public’s perception of quarantine and social distancing methods, as these methods will be the first line of defense in attempting to contain or lessen the severity of the outbreak until a vaccine and medications can be developed and produced in mass quantities. College students perceptions are particularly important to look at as their living situations can vary drastically from the general public, i.e. living far away from home and with roommates. This study looks at college students perceptions of quarantine and social distancing measures that could be implemented in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza. The data revealed that undergraduate college students in this study favored the use of government implemented quarantine and social distancing methods, except for requiring that religious services be temporarily canceled. They are also worried about the potential problems that may occur as a result of the implementation of quarantine and social distancing methods, and the only information source that the majority of them trust to give them useful and accurate information regarding an influenza pandemic in their community was their physician or other health care professional. Of most significance to the college student population, as opposed to the general public, is the place of quarantine for the other people that live in the same residence. Fifty-three percent of the respondents in this study favored quarantining the other people living in their residence in a separate quarantine facility compared to 29% in the Blendon (2006) study that surveyed the general adult population in the United States.
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    Communicating Commitment within Monogamous Romantic Relationships
    (2020-01) Leverenz, Alaina Nicole; Goering, Elizabeth; Brann, Maria; White-Mills, Kim
    This study sought to better understand the communication of commitment in monogamous romantic relationships, including how one communicates his/her commitment to his/her partner and how one interprets messages from his/her partner. Focusing on the fundamentals of communicating commitment to one’s partner proves beneficial in understanding the commitment processes in daily life. In an effort to understand this concept, I used themes from interdependence theory and the investment model to formulate the interview questions and develop the findings. The findings and interpretations demonstrate that couples are communicating their commitment to each other in words/verbal expressions, especially in the beginning stages of the committed relationship; the commitment global construct employed most to communicate commitment in relationship is relational maintenance behaviors; and people perceive that nonverbal expressions of commitment are the best way to interpret messages of commitment from one’s partner.
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    Communication to Cultivate a Culture of Health: Lessons From 5-Star Achievewell Organizations
    (2021-12) Martin, Natalie R.; Brann, Maria; Bute, Jennifer; Goering, Elizabeth; Staten, Lisa
    Creating a culture of health within an organization offers benefits such as reducing costs and supporting employees in becoming and staying healthy. A variety of health and wellness programs within an organization are important for establishing a culture of health. These programs are supported communicatively to encourage employee participation and healthful behavior changes. Recognized for their success in creating a culture of health, a group of organizations, distinguished as 5-Star AchieveWELL organizations, offer an opportunity to identify messaging strategies effective at promoting health and wellness within the workplace and therefore, creating a culture of health. The goals of this study included learning successful organization’s communication strategies utilized to create a culture of health, understanding how new employees are socialized into this culture, identifying how employees may resist the culture, and exploring how resistance is addressed. Based on in-depth interviews with 19 5-Star AchieveWELL organizational representatives and grounded theory analysis of collected data, evident themes related to the goals of this study were identified. Key communication strategies to support a culture of health include using multiple communication channels, demonstrating leadership support, and being willing to adapt and change over time. New employees are socialized into the culture of health during the recruitment process as well as new employee orientation. Resistance to health and wellness occurs in the form of non-participation and employee push-back, with this resistance often being met with compassion. These results offer practical implications for organizations desiring to create a culture of health as well as theoretical implications for scholars studying organizational socialization.
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    Contributing Factors for Opioid Misuse Among U.S. Adolescents
    (2019-10) Hurse, Deidre N.; Arnold, Brent; Altenburger, Peter; Goering, Elizabeth; Saha, Chandan; Agho, Augustine
    The United States is amidst an opioid overdose epidemic. Even with significant gaps in surveillance data on opioid-related deaths, the problem is undeniable and requires a systemic response. Despite the dangerous effects of opioid misuse, pathways that lead to opioid abuse for young people is understudied. This study sought to understand factors related to opioid misuse among youth. An exploratory approach used data from both quantitative and qualitative sources. The convergent parallel mixed method design used secondary data from a biannual school-based survey and three oral interviews. While opioid misuse is not limited to heroin, the 2013, 2015, and 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBS) was used to determine associations between predictor variables and heroin use. Oral interviews added the perspective of adolescent users and were inclusive of persons that misused prescription and other forms of opioids. The synchronization of data analysis allowed observations to impact the study direction unilaterally. Opioid misuse for youth was related to experiences, access, and divergent substance use. Traumatic stressors, such as physical dating violence and sexual dating violence, had the most substantial relationship with heroin misuse. Findings confirmed that ease of access had a relationship with misuse. It is unclear if opioid misuse was a result of polysubstance use. However, the study identified that divergent substance use was correlated with opioid misuse in this population. The study findings support the use of early intervention before high school. Prevention must be inclusive of primary, secondary, and tertiary approaches. Future prevention for youth can be enhanced by addressing resilience from trauma, reducing access to opioids and addressing alcohol, and substance use among youth. Adopting a framework that acknowledges the root causes of misuse, can mitigate the impact of the opioid crisis and save lives.
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    Coordinating the Uncoordinated Giant: Applying the Four Flows Model of Communicative Constitution of Organizations to the United States Weather Enterprise
    (2019-10) Rothrock, Matthew Carter; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Goering, Elizabeth; Sandwina, Ronald
    The US weather enterprise includes academia, the private weather industry, and government-funded forecasting, research, and dissemination agencies. While not an organization in its own right, the enterprise behaves like an organization of organizations. This thesis applies the communicative constitution of organizations, and McPhee and Zaug’s four flows model in particular, to the US weather enterprise. Each organization in the weather enterprise behaves like individual members of an organization would, which extends this theory to a conceptualization of organization that increases innovation, collaboration, and coordination. The weather is a constitutive force which calls the US weather enterprise into being. Finally, CCO is extended to other collaborative, coordinated efforts among the public and private sectors, indicating the possibilities of CCO as an attractive answer to the great organizational questions of the 21st century and beyond. Future research areas are considered, including how the US weather enterprise manages the unexpected and reduces uncertainty organizationally. Also, considerations as to how CCO can be applied to the incident command structure, often called forward during high-impact weather events, will be made.
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    Exploring Male And Female Healthcare Provider Communication With Alzheimer’s Patients: A Qualitative Study
    (2021-05) Lyu, Ying; Goering, Elizabeth; Head, Katharine J.; Bute, Jennifer
    Today, Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects more than 46.8 million people worldwide. Caring for people with AD is stressful and emotionally draining for both family members and healthcare providers and would be exacerbated by the breakdown in communication. While communication challenges can take many forms, one understudied area in AD patient-provider communication is how gender role might affect the outcomes and perceived feelings during interaction. Without knowledge and attentiveness of how gender may affect patient-provider communication, healthcare providers may become more frustrated in their attempts to apply unadjusted skills, which can cause further breakdown and stress. This study is to explore how gender might be a role affecting caregiving communication within the context of Alzheimer’s. Eleven participants were recruited to have a semi-structured interview through online flyers. The findings from this study yield broad suggestions for future work within the field of Alzheimer’s communication research and specific suggestions for designing the communication training.
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    I'm Fine: Systemic Affect of Critical Incidents in Emergency Medical Service Personnel Communication
    (2020-07) Deason, Aaron Sterling; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Goering, Elizabeth; Pike, Lynn; Hoffmann-Longtin, Krista
    EMS personnel experience emotionally charged calls, such as CPR, trauma, or domestic violence. This study examined the changes on communication by these events. Communication Complex metaframework allowed use of other disciplines. There is a lack of scholarship surrounding EMS communication. Research from other military and other fields was translated into the EMS community. Mental illness is a growing concern in EMS as 37% contemplate suicide and 6% complete it. Part of understanding the affect is an exploration of how the culture of EMS (i.e. training, traditions, machismo) shapes the way new EMS are acculturated. EMS have repeated exposure to trauma over a career. These exposures change communication patterns. Using a three-chapter autoethnography, I was able to examine my communication and mental status changes from rookie until retiring 14 years later with PTSD and constant suicidal ideation. Ethnographic interviews of veteran EMS provided insight into the old school ideology of emotional repression and shelving. I analyzed using the NREMT Patient Assessment skill sheet as a guide in a three-step process to discover and reassess themes. The primary survey indicated common job-related stressors- pedi calls and staffing problems. The secondary survey revealed themes of emotions, senses, and support. Finally, the reassessment revealed subtle changes in EMS culture, including decreased PTSD stigma, increased resiliency training, and increased administrative support. Future research could examine the effect of spousal support and changes in cultural emotional suppression. The goal is to develop programs to help allies understand the emotionality in EMS and create dedicated support structures to increase EMS mental health.
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    I'm Not Fine, Thanks for Asking: The Communication Work of Birth Trauma
    (2025-05) Cheslyn, Clarissa Marie; Bute, Jennifer J.; Brann, Maria; Goering, Elizabeth; Turman, Jack
    Research on traumatic birth asserts that up to 68% of birth persons describe their birth experience as traumatic. Despite this significant statistic, societal expectations regarding communication practices following the traumatic birth of a child remain rooted in stigmatized perceptions, often decentering the trauma from communication. This study investigates birth trauma through the lens of Donovan’s communication work and Tracy’s reflexive approach to qualitative research to explore how communication work surrounding birth trauma, while inherently individual in its nuances, impacts broader communication processes and relational dynamics. Twenty-three interviews were conducted with birth persons who experienced trauma during and after the delivery of a living child. Reflexivity played a central role in both the design and execution of the study, allowing for an evolving interview guide informed by participants' experiences and the researcher’s own lived experience of birth trauma. Findings from a phronetic iterative analysis revealed that communication work related to birth trauma is multifaceted, involving the navigation of interpersonal relationships, medical interactions, and self-advocacy. The study highlights how birth persons engage in legitimizing their trauma, managing multiple communication goals, and handling the emotional labor of managing relationships with others regarding their trauma. Furthermore, participants frequently noted the significant impact of external validation or invalidation, from healthcare professionals and social supports in processing their trauma. Ultimately, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how communication functions as both a barrier and conduit in addressing the lived experiences of birth persons, and how these insights can inform future clinical and social approaches to trauma and the way it is discussed.
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    Increasing communication effectiveness per personality types in an effort to enhance student retention
    (2010-05-03T19:52:55Z) Barnett, Melissa G.; Goering, Elizabeth; Sandwina, Ronald M.; White-Mills, Kim
    Student retention is a problem that continues to plaque higher education institutions whose ultimate goal is to graduate students. The reported national student retention average in 2006 was between 58 and 71.6 percent, depending on to which statistics you refer. The importance for the academic community is that “the loss of students returning to campus for another year usually results in greater financial loss and a lower graduation rate for the institution, and might also affect the way that stakeholders, legislators, parents, and students view the institution” (Lau, 2003). In order to combat low student retention rates, many have initiated a variety of programs and strategic measures to increase students’ likelihood to complete their education. These initiatives can be found in the form of committees designated to conduct research and subsequently implement programs, colleges hiring outside consultants to assist with retention strategies, and the implementation of “student success” courses into the existing curriculum. Additional measures at the campus level may include: retention merit initiatives, student satisfaction and instructor surveys, and re-entry campaigns to target withdrawn students. According to Tinto (2002), “Most institutions, in my view, have not taken student retention seriously. They have done little to change the way they organize their activities, done little to alter the student experience, and therefore done little to address the deeper roots of student attrition”. The author faults the institutions that attempt to combat the issue by simply adding a course that is “marginal to the academic life of the institution”. While he does not directly address using personality or learning styles as a tool to combat student attrition, he states that, “Institutions that are successful in building settings that educate their students, all students, not just some, are institutions that are successful in retaining their students”. This research will provide an in depth look at existing personality type and retention data, an examination of communication incidents as reported by both “graduates” and “withdrawn” students, and recommendations for implementing personality-based communication techniques in the classroom in an effort to enhance overall student satisfaction. Considering the explosive growth of web-based distance education courses and program offerings, additional considerations will be made to address the online learning environment and its unique communicative needs. It is my assertion that both student retention and overall satisfaction can be enhanced with knowledge of existing personality and learning types of both students and teachers and a modification of the communication processes to fit students’ varying styles and communicative needs. By conducting a very basic level of research on personality types, one can find an abundance of information, each assessment claiming to be more effective than the others. Several textbooks, websites, and employer profiling systems guide users to various paper or web based tests which solicit descriptors of one’s own behavior, characteristics, and tendencies. First published in 1962, one widely recognized psychometric questionnaire used frequently in career counseling is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Respondents are asked to answer 93 forced-choice questions based on their preference of two words or short statements. The results are given in the form of a four letter abbreviation, each letter representing one of their four type preferences based on four dichotomies. The four dichotomies are Extraversion vs. Introversion, Sensing vs. Intuition, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving. “The MBTI suggests general areas of life, or careers, in which persons are most apt to be interested, motivated, and successful” (Van, 1992, p. 20). As described by John (1990), “The five-factor model is a descriptive framework within which all the important individual differences in personality are subsumed under five global traits” (as quoted in Wolfe & Johnson, 1995, p. 178). The Five Factor Model identifies the “Big Five” personality traits of its respondents and presents them as percentile scores. Measures are comprised of either self-descriptive sentences or adjectives. The Big Five factors are as follows: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. “A personality taxonomy such as the “16-factor model developed by Cattell (1965), posits that there are 16 primary personality factors” (Lidy & Kahn, 2006, p. 124). Through extensive research on the subject, and self assessing with a variety of these tests, the model I have chosen to highlight here is the DiSC personality assessment. The tool measures personality types based on a word association that offers a number of descriptors and asks participants to select the one that is “most like” and “least like” them. The in-depth profile then provides a bar graph measure of each of the four dimensions and a “classical pattern” to the participants. The four dimensions of the assessment are as follows: D (Dominant), i (Influencer), S (Steadiness), C (Conscientiousness).