Improving Care for Veterans in Nursing Homes
Author Information
Author(s): Joan Carpenter, Ann Kutney-Lee, Andrew Murray, Mary Ersek
Primary Institution: University of Maryland Baltimore
Hypothesis
Can a quality improvement program enhance the documentation of life sustaining treatment preferences for veterans in community nursing homes?
Conclusion
The pre-implementation phase of the quality improvement program identified barriers and facilitators to documenting treatment preferences, which will guide future implementation efforts.
Supporting Evidence
- The program engaged site leadership and recruited champions to improve documentation practices.
- Barriers included lack of knowledge and confusion about roles among clinicians.
- Facilitators included access to electronic medical records and positive staff relationships.
Takeaway
This study helps make sure that veterans in nursing homes get the care they want by teaching staff how to keep track of their treatment choices.
Methodology
The study involved virtual meetings, interviews, and process mapping to assess barriers and facilitators in documenting treatment preferences.
Potential Biases
Potential bias may arise from the self-reported nature of interviews and the selection of champions.
Limitations
The study was limited to six VA community nursing home programs and may not represent all such facilities.
Participant Demographics
Participants included VA clinicians and administrative partners from six community nursing homes.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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