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conducted; in the analysis for each case we can include the perspectives of the regional
director, team leader home nursing, team leader home help, front desk employees, start-
up nurses, key nurses and representatives from complementary services, call centers and
marketing. In total, 38 interviews were conducted. To ensure unity in style and form of
interviewing, all interviews were conducted by the same researcher. All interviews were
transcribed. To increase the validity, the interview texts were sent back to the interviewees
after transcription to check the interview contents. Moreover, relevant documents (e.g.
handbooks, process descriptions and product books) were analyzed and each case study
involved three one-day field visits to observe and experience the working processes.
The qualitative data analysis software Atlas.ti 5 (Atlas.ti, 2004) was used for on-screen
coding and exploration of patterns and relationships in our data. For data reduction, the
three-step coding scheme of Strauss and Corbin (1998) was used. The first step, open
coding, is an analytic process in which concepts are identified by grouping individual
observations, sentences, ideas and events into categories (Voss et al., 2002). When
coding constructs based on case research, it is often advisable to limit the number of
categories (Voss et al., 2002). Therefore, in advance we compiled a codes list, identifying
the most important concepts related to theory on the basis of our topic list. As such,
the coding was applied in a deductive way. Using this codes list, each interview was
coded independently by two researchers who then discussed and compared their codes
to reach consensus on each of them. During this process, however, it appeared that the
richness and nuances of the collected data could not be sufficiently captured. Therefore
we decided to supplement the codes list with additional codes that emerged from the
data; in this way inductive codes were added. In the second step of the coding process,
axial coding (Strauss and Corbin, 1998, p. 123), we bundled text fragments with similar
codes and systematically analyzed their contents to reveal the core concepts related to
the specification process. We were thus able to create a codes tree (Table 5.2), giving
insight into the different (sub)categories related to the realization of care and service
packages. The final step is selective coding (Strauss and Corbin, 1998, p. 143), where
we related the package of care and services (being our core category of research) to the
other categories. In this way we developed insights into the mutual relations among
the categories both within and across the cases.
5.5 Results
To meet the needs and demands of a given client, certain tasks will have to be performed
to specify and compose the required care and service package. In this specification
process, professionals of the respective organizations determine together with an elderly
client what ‘should, can and will be delivered’. Irrespective of some differences in the
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operational setup of package specification and construction, in all cases we observed
that specification partly takes place before the start of care and service delivery but also
partly coincides with it. Therefore, two phases can be discerned in the specification
process in order to create the optimal care and service package for each client (see
next subsection); we call these phases the a-priori phase and the on-the-job phase,
respectively. In the process description, ‘the elderly client’ can also be interpreted as
‘the client system’, since some elderly clients might be supported by a representative
because of, e.g., mental constraints of the elderly client. In the discussion we will
elaborate on our findings from a modularity perspective.
5.5.1 Process of assessing needs and assembling packages: a general
description
In all cases, dissimilar care and service parts are typically offered to elderly clients to
support them to continue to live independently. One organization (or a group of partner
organizations) generally provides several types of care and related services, such as
home care, home help, supporting services and housing services. In order to meet the
demands of a given client, an assessment of the required care and services takes place.
Definitions of the professionals involved in the specification process are given in Table
5.3, the specification process is shown in Figure 5.3a, and differences between cases
on the time dimension of the specification process are shown in Figure 5.3b.
Table 5.2 Codes tree developed from deductive and inductive coding
Theoretical background
Deductive codes
Inductive codes added
Production cycle
Client entry
Specification of needs
A-priori specification
On-the-job specification
Construction
Assembly
Fine tuning
Delivery
Modularity
Components
Standardized
Adapted
Package
Generic package
Specific package
Service / Care
Interaction
client-professional
Information exchange_phone
Information exchange_face-to-face
Physical interaction
Client choice
M
odular car
e and ser
vic
e pack
ages f
or independen
tly living elder
ly
Chapt
er 5
From these cases we observed a production cycle in which modular packages of care
and related services are specified and compiled for independently living elderly clients.
To gain a deeper understanding of the events taking place in this production cycle, we
clustered and subsequently analyzed the codes as stated in Table 5.2. The first codes
cluster contained the codes ‘client entry’, ‘a-priori specification’, ‘assembly’, ‘standardized
components’, ‘generic package’, ‘information exchange_phone’, ‘information exchange_
face-to-face’, and ‘client choice’. This cluster provided insight in the early stage of the
production cycle. The second cluster, comprising the codes ‘on-the-job specification’,
‘fine tuning’, ‘adapted components’, ‘specific package’, ‘physical interaction’ and ‘client
choice’ offered a deeper understanding of the production cycle’s late stage.
From our analysis, it follows that early in the production cycle (the a-priori phase),
a package of relatively standard care and service parts is roughly defined which can
be referred to as the preliminary package. Based on a generic exploration of a client’s
needs and requirements, standardized components are combined and arrangements are
made in broad terms concerning, e.g., duration and moment of delivery. Brief telephone
conversations lead to an initial specification of needs. During the house visit, where
the client is questioned and his living environment is observed, a deeper specification
of needs and requirements takes place. Subsequently, the care professional can relate
these to relevant components that are generally available from the range of supply of
the organization. For example, one start-up nurse pointed out that many elderly have
their bed in the living room, often indicating that these elderly have difficulty with
the stairs. In case the bathroom is upstairs, this nurse always offers these clients some
kind of assistance with bathing activities. As shown in Figure 5.3b, the a-priori package
specification in case T takes place over a very brief period of time, whereas in case R,
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Table 5.3 Employees involved in the specification process
Employee
Definition
Front desk employee
Contact person for new clients. Responsible for directing new clients to the
appropriate nursing team. Only involved prior to the delivery of care and
related services.
Start-up nurse without
nursing task
Responsible for specifying the client’s needs and wants and appropriate care
and service package prior to delivery of care and related services (case R, K, V).
Start-up nurse with
nursing task
Responsible for specifying the client’s needs and wants, and appropriate care
and service package both prior to and during the first week of care delivery
(case T).
Key nurse
Responsible for the delivery and adaptation of a client’s care and service
package (although other nurses can also be involved in the delivery of care and
services to this client). Only involved in specification during delivery of care and
related services.
Modular Care Provision
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