Improving the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes

Nursing facilities as well as CMS and state governments are under pressure to find cost-effective methods to improve quality, particularly in poor and average facilities. In our prior work, we found that better performing facilities make more extensive use of CQI mechanisms, have more protocol driven problem advanced resolution mechanisms and systematically address multiple areas Both arms of the study apply the same standardized approach to CQI, while one arm will include specific best-practice care strategies targeted at identified problems. The study will evaluate whether the CQI program improves quality indicator scores in multiple domains, relative to control facilities, and whether improvement is greater in facilities that also utilize the study's best-practice protocols. The study consent form describes the MDS assessment (used to evaluate the reliability of the facility's assessment), including items to be reviewed and how information will be obtained. The subject is informed that there is no known risk for participating in research, the purpose of which is to determine if the intervention improves nursing home care in Massachusetts The outcomes will be reviewed by means of a change in twelve quality indicator scores: ADL decline, ADL decline following improvement, Mobility change, walking improvement, cognitive change, communication change, bowel continence change, bladder continence change, depressed mood change, new insertion of an indwelling urinary catheter, infection prevalence, worsening pain.