Relational Coordination in VA
12 April 2022
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Relational Coordination in VA Program
Funded through a 3-year SDR grant with HSR&D, the Relational Coordination in VA program offers VA researchers and staff access to the Relational Coordination Survey at no-cost along with educational opportunities to learn about the role of Relational Coordination in healthcare.
Become a VA RCC Partner
Sign up here to to register as a VA RCC Partner.
Participation is limited to VA employees; participants must register using a va.gov email.
Please contact RCC Director, Lainie Loveless at lainie.loveless@unh.edu with questions.
What is Relational Coordination?
Relational Coordination is a mutually reinforcing process of communicating and relating for the purpose of task integration.
Relational Coordination has been shown to improve team performance and high reliability through improved communication and relationships within and between teams.
What is the RC Survey?
The RC Survey is an evidence-based 7-item survey that enables researchers and organizations to understand where relationships are strongest/weakest within and between teams in a work process and determine next steps to improve performance and increase relational coordination. Download a copy of 7-item survey.
- Frequent communication: How frequently do people in these groups communicate with you about [insert work process]?
- Timely communication: How timely is their communication with you about [insert work process]?
- Accurate communication:How accurate is their communication with you about [insert work process]?
- Problem solving communication: When there is a problem in [insert work process], do people in these groups blame others or try to solve the problem?
- Shared goals: How much do people in these groups share your goals in [insert work process]?
- Shared knowledge: How much do people in these groups know about the work you do with [insert work process]?
- Mutual respect: How much do people in these groups respect the work you do with [insert work process]?
Through the RC in VA program, the RC Survey can be administered by research or operations teams using the survey platform of their choice at no-cost.
RC Analytics, a measurement and analytics company, will provide guidance on survey design, administration and data analysis to ensure project aims are aligned with the structure of relational coordination.
Ready to Apply?
Simply download the Relational Coordination in VA program application and send it to:
brigid.connelly@va.gov
Resources
Video: RC in VA journal club: Relational Analytic Chapter 1
Video: Relational Facilitation for the VA Quadruple Aim QUERI
with Heather M. Gilmartin, PhD
This 9-minute educational video describes the background and implementation of relational facilitation for healthcare teams engaged in the Quadruple Aim QUERI. Grounded in the theory of relational coordination, this unique facilitation approach aims to assess and improve relationships and communication among and between teams to improve Veteran care.
Learn more about Relational Coordination in the VA?
Revising Relational Coordination: A Systematic Review
VA studies that investigated Relational Coordination
Connelly et al (2021): A dissemination strategy to promote relational coordination in the veterans health administration: a case study
Gilmartin et al (2020): Practices to Support Relational Coordination in Care Transitions
Rosen et al (2020): Access to Pain Care from Compensation Clinics: A Relational Coordination Perspective
Anderson et al (2020): Care Coordination for Veterans with COPD: A Positive Deviance Study
Altalib et al (2019): Measuring coordination of epilepsy care: A mixed methods evaluation of social network analysis versus relational coordination
Mohr et al (2019): Organizational coordination and Patient Experiences of Specialty Care Integration
RC in Healthcare Section for Publications
House et al (2021): Relational coordination and staff outcomes among healthcare professionals: a scoping review.
Blakeney et al (2021): Sustaining improvements in relational coordination following team training and practice change: A longitudinal analysis.
Tingvold et al (2021): Shared goals, communication and mutual respect in multicultural staff teams: A relational coordination perspective.
Thygeson et al (2021): Relational interventions for organizational learning: An experience report.
Bligaard Madsen et al (2021): Relational coordination in inter-organizational settings. How does lack of proximity affect coordination between hospital-based and community-based healthcare providers?
IRB and Report Examples
Three (3) examples of approved IRB Informed Consent forms:
Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3
A sample of a RC Survey report
An example of a Union Notification document used when surveying VA staff
RC Resources outside the VA
Visit the Relational Coordination Collaborative website. Register for RCC membership.
Listen to RC in VA Podcast Episode on Health Findings in Focus
The first episode of the new podcast Health Findings in Focus features an interview with Heather! It is a great introduction to Relational Coordination and what we want to accomplish. Have a listen:
SGIM 2022: Enhancing Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Team-Based Care in the Times of COVID-19 The Role of Relational Coordination
With Brigid B. Connelly, Heather M. Gilmartin, Christine D. Jones
April 2022
Join Our Mailing List
We would love to hear from you! Join the RC in VA mailing list. We promise you will not be inundated with junk or other annoyances.
Consultation
For more information or a consultation with the RC in VA program team about your project, contact brigid.connelly@va.gov
Our Team
-
Brigid Connelly, BA
- Title: Project Manager
- Contact: Brigid.Connelly@va.gov
-
Heather Gilmartin, PhD, NP
- Title: Project Lead
- Contact: Heather.Gilmartin@va.gov
Ready to Apply?
Simply download the Relational Coordination in VA program application and send it to:
brigid.connelly@va.gov
