Dr. Tyler's research focuses on long-term care, especially the work of nursing employees in nursing homes. Her research has examined job satisfaction and motivation among these workers, ways to improve teamwork among frontline nursing employees, cultural competency in nursing homes, and the training of direct-care workers.

Biography

Dr. Denise Tyler has been conducting research on long-term care facilities and their employees for several years. Her research is focused primarily on nursing workers in long-term care facilities, including ways to improve work experiences, training, and teamwork. She has completed studies on the ways in which nursing home organizational structure can be enhanced to increase teamwork among direct-care workers, the reasons for declining availability of nursing home based pre-employment training for nursing assistants, and participatory action research that addressed cultural competence among nursing staff. Her current research focuses on enhancing the supervisory skills of nurses in ways that empower nursing assistants to apply their own skills and knowledge. Dr. Tyler received her Ph.D. in Social Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

Research Description

Dr. Tyler's doctoral research examined the organizational factors related to teamwork among direct-care workers in nursing homes. She has studied the job and organizational factors that affect the satisfaction and motivation of nursing employees in long-term care facilities and has also examined cultural competence among nursing staff. Dr. Tyler's most recent research is focused on training for direct-care workers and how training may affect the willingness of these workers to remain in their jobs and their ability to work effectively in teams.

Affiliations

Gerontological Society of America

Funded Research

Project Manager, Shaping Long-Term Care in America (PI Vincent Mor, Ph.D.), total costs $10,137,898 National Institute on Aging, P01AG027296-01A1, 9/15/07 – 6/30/12

Co-Investigator, Training and Coaching to Promote High Performance in VA Nursing Home Care (PI Carol VanDuesen Lukas, EdD), total costs $229,885, Department of Veterans Affairs, EDU 08-427, 9/1/09 – 8/31/10

View My Full Publication List in pdf format

Selected Publications

• Feng, Z, Fennell, M, Mor, V, Tyler, DA, Clark, M. 2011. Trends in racial composition of nursing home residents: 1999-2008. Health Affairs, in press(2011)
• Feng, Z, Lepore, M, Clark, M, Tyler, DA, Barton Smith, D, Mor, V, Fennell, M. 2011. Geographic concentration and correlates of nursing home closures: 1999-2008. Archives of Internal Medicine, 171(9): 806-813(2011)
• Tyler, DA, Parker, VA. 2011. Staff teamwork in long-term care facilities: the influence of management style, training, and feedback. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 4(2):(2011)
• Tyler, DA, Parker, VA. 2011. Nursing home culture, teamwork, and culture change. Journal of Research in Nursing, 16(1): 37-49.(2011)
• Tyler, DA, Shield, R, Rosenthal, M, Miller, SC, Wetle, T, Clark, MA. 2011. How valid are the responses to nursing home survey questions? Some issues and concerns. The Gerontologist, 51(2): 201-211.(2011)
• 11. Gozalo PL, Teno JM, Mitchell S, Skinner J, Bynum J, Tyler DA, Mor V. 2011. Health care transitions among nursing home residents dying with advanced cognitive impairment. New England Journal of Medicine, in press(2011)
• 10. Tyler DA, Leland N, Lepore M, Miller SC. 2011. Effect of increased nursing home hospice use on nursing assistant staffing. Journal of Palliative Medicine, in press(2011)
• 9. Feng Z, Fennell MF, Tyler DA, Clark MA, Mor V. 2011. Growth of racial and ethnic minorities in US nursing homes driven by demographics and possible disparities in care options. Health Affairs, 30(7): 1358-1365(2011)
• 8. Feng Z, Lepore M, Clark M, Tyler DA, Smith DB, Mor V, Fennell MF. 2011. Geographic concentration and correlates of nursing home closures: 1999-2008. Archives of Internal Medicine, 171(9): 806-813(2011)
• 7. Tyler DA, Parker VA. 2011. Staff teamwork in long-term care facilities: the influence of management style, training, and feedback. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 4(2): 135-146.(2011)
• 6. Tyler DA, Parker VA. 2011. Nursing home culture, teamwork, and culture change. Journal of Research in Nursing, 16(1): 37-49.(2011)
• 5. Tyler DA, Shield RR, Rosenthal M, Miller SC, Wetle T, Clark MA. 2011. How valid are the responses to nursing home survey questions? Some issues and concerns. The Gerontologist, 51(2): 201-211.(2011)
• Tyler, DA, Jung, H, Feng, Z, Mor, V. 2010. Prevalence of nursing assistant training and certification programs within nursing homes, 1997-2007. The Gerontologist, 50(4): 550-5.(2010)
• 4. Tyler DA, Jung H, Feng Z, Mor,V. 2010. Prevalence of nursing assistant training and certification programs within nursing homes, 1997-2007. The Gerontologist, 50(4): 550-5.(2010)
• Pukstas, KA, Parker, VA, Brandeis, GH, Hardt, E, Geron, SM, Engle, RL, Tyler, DA, Leigh, J. 2006 Improving intercultural staff communication in the long-term care setting. Annals of Long-Term Care: Clinical Care and Aging 14(8): 34-37.(2006)
• Tyler, DA, Parker, VA, Engle, RL, Brandeis, GH, Hickey, EC, Rosen, AK, Wang, F, Berlowitz, DR. 2006. An exploration of job design in long-term care facilities and its effect on nursing employee satisfaction. Health Care Management Review 31(2):137-144.(2006)
• 2. Tyler DA, Parker VA, Engle RL, Brandeis GH, Hickey EC, Rosen AK, Wang F, Berlowitz DR. 2006. An exploration of job design in long-term care facilities and its effect on nursing employee satisfaction. Health Care Management Review 31(2):137-144.(2006)
• 3. Pukstas KA, Parker VA, Brandeis GH, Hardt E, Geron SM, Engle RL, Tyler DA, Leigh J. 2006. Improving intercultural staff communication in the long-term care setting. Annals of Long-Term Care: Clinical Care and Aging 14(8): 34-37.(2006)
• Duncan, PW, Lai, SM, Tyler, DA, Perera, S, Reker, DM, Studenski, S. 2002. Evaluation of proxy responses to the Stroke Impact Scale. Stroke 33(11): 2593-99.(2002)
• 1. Duncan PW, Lai SM, Tyler DA, Perera S, Reker DM, Studenski S. 2002. Evaluation of proxy responses to the Stroke Impact Scale. Stroke 33(11): 2593-99.(2002)