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Staff management procedures and changes in the distribution of nontargeted activities by residential staff members: A secondary analysis
Author(s) -
Seys Daniel M.,
Duker Pieter C.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
behavioral interventions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.605
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1099-078X
pISSN - 1072-0847
DOI - 10.1002/bin.2360080104
Subject(s) - housekeeping , recreation , psychology , observational study , residential care , time management , nursing , medicine , management , biochemistry , chemistry , pathology , political science , law , gene , economics
Staff management procedures are increasingly used to improve quality of care in residential facilities for individuals with mental retardation. Typically, residential staff members are prompted to increase and then maintain their frequency of activities within one or more target categories of behavior (e. g., training residents) and are regularly fed back on their performance. There is, however, no evidence as to what are the effects of staff management procedures on other, nontargeted activities of residential staff. Six groups of residential staff members ( n =49) and 58 individuals with severe and profound levels of mental retardation participated. Observational data on staff behaviors were collected within eight mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories. When a procedure of staff management was in effect, a statistically significant increase in the time spent on the target categories of stimulative custodial care and training was associated with a statistically significant (a) increase in time spent on organization, (b) decrease in time spent on routine custodial care, and (c) decrease in time being engaged in off‐task behavior. There were no statistically significant differences found with respect to staff members' time spent on housekeeping, in offering individuals recreational activities, and in taking rest.