Person-centredness in the workplace: an examination of person-centred skills, processes and workplace factors among Medicaid waiver providers in the United States

Abstract

Background: Existing research supports the effectiveness of person-centred practices in working with persons with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities, but less clear is the influence of workplace factors on the implementation and quality of person-centred practices. Aims: This article explores the influence of workplace factors on job satisfaction and on the implementation and quality of person-centred practices in healthcare agencies that provide home- and community-based services through a Medicaid waiver in Mississippi, a state in the southeastern United States. Methods: Purposive sampling was used to collect data via online surveys to explore the interrelationships among person-centred workplaces, job satisfaction and person-centred practices. Results: Path analysis reveals that a person-centred workplace influences both skill implementation and person-centred processes. Job satisfaction was significantly correlated to skill implementation and person-centred processes in bivariate analysis but was not detected in the path model. Conclusion: This study suggests that organisations may improve the provision of person-centred practices by investing in policies that create a person-centred workplace. Implications for practice: A person-centred workplace environment is a critical factor that influences person-centred practices and job satisfaction among employees Adapting practices to be person-centred should occur at every level of an organisation Social care organisations should maintain continuous assessments of person-centredness to ensure a person-centred workplace where employees consistently use person-centred skills and processes with the people whom they support