Longitudinal Evaluation of a Statewide Quality Improvement Program for Nursing Homes.

OBJECTIVES: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Nursing Home Quality report recommends that states "develop and operate state-based…technical assistance programs…to help nursing homes…improve care and…operations." The Quality Improvement Program for Missouri (QIPMO) is one such program. This longitudinal evaluation examined and compared differences in quality measures (QMs) and nursing home (NH) characteristics based on intensity of QIPMO services used. DESIGN: A descriptive study compared key QMs of clinical care, facility-level characteristics, and differing QIPMO service intensity use. QIPMO services include on-site clinical consultation by expert nurses; evidence-based practice information; teaching NHs use of quality improvement (QI) methods; and guiding their use of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-prepared QM comparative feedback reports to improve care. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: All Missouri NHs (n = 510) have access to QIPMO services at no charge. All used some level of service during the study, 2020-2022. METHODS: QM data were drawn from CMS's publicly available website (Refresh April 2023) and NH characteristics data from other public websites. Service intensity was calculated using data from facility contacts (on-site visits, phone calls, texts, emails, webinars). NHs were divided into quartiles based on service intensity. RESULTS: All groups had different beginning QM scores and improved ending scores. Group 2, moderate resource intensity use, started with "worse" overall score and improved to best performing by the end. Group 4, most resource intensity use, improved least but required highest service intensity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This longitudinal evaluation of QIPMO, a statewide QI technical assistance and support program, provides evidence of programmatic stimulation of statewide NH quality improvements. It provides insight into intensity of services needed to help facilities improve. Other states should consider QIPMO success and develop their own programs, as recommended by the NASEM report so their NHs can embrace QI and "initiate fundamental change" for better care for our nation's older adults.

Exploring Hospital Transfers for Long-Stay Nursing Home Residents With End-Stage Renal Disease.

BACKGROUND: Nursing home residents with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are an understudied, yet growing population within nursing homes. PURPOSE: To describe hospital transfers for nursing home residents diagnosed with ESRD and receiving hemodialysis. METHODS: Data were analyzed for residents with ESRD transferred to the hospital between October 2016 and September 2020 (n = 219). Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, logistic regression, and content analysis were used for analysis. RESULTS: Clinical factors associated with transfers included abnormal vitals, altered mental state, and pain. Other factors included lack of care planning and advance directives, provider communication, resident/family preferences, missing/refusing dialysis, and facility resources. The odds of an observation/emergency department only visit was 2.02 times larger when transferred from the dialysis clinic. CONCLUSIONS: Advance care planning and coordinated care between nursing home and dialysis clinics are needed along with proactive planning when residents miss dialysis or experience a condition change at the dialysis clinic.

Smart Technology for Aging and Reducing Disability (STAReD): Study protocol for a randomized pragmatic clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: There is a critical need to improve quality of life for community-dwelling older adults with disabilities. Prior research has demonstrated that a smart, in-home sensor system can facilitate aging in place for older adults living in independent living apartments with care coordination support by identifying early illness and injury detection. Self-management approaches have shown positive outcomes for many client populations. Pairing the smart, in-home sensor system with a self-management intervention for community-dwelling older adults with disabilities may lead to positive outcomes. METHODS: This study is a prospective, two-arm, randomized, pragmatic clinical trial to compare the effect of a technology-supported self-management intervention on disability and health-related quality of life to that of a health education control, for rural, community-dwelling older adults. Individuals randomized to the self-management study arm will receive a multidisciplinary (nursing, occupational therapist, and social work) self-management approach coupled with the smart-home sensor system. Individuals randomized to the health education study arm will receive standard health education coupled with the smart-home sensor system. The primary outcomes of disability and health-related quality of life will be assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Generalizable guidance to scale the technology-supported self-management intervention will be developed from qualitatively developed exemplar cases. CONCLUSION: This study has the potential to impact the health and well-being of rural, community-dwelling older adults with disabilities. We have overcome barriers including recruitment in a rural population and supply chain issues for the sensor system. Our team remains on track to meet our study aims.

Understanding Formal Caregiver Burden in Nursing Assistants in Nursing Homes: A Mixed Methods Approach.

The current study aimed to describe formal caregiver burden of nursing assistants in nursing homes. A descriptive, cross-sectional, convergent mixed methods approach identified attributes of formal caregiver burden using phenomenological interviews and established self-report measures. Themes included nursing assistants' experiences of stress, close relationships, extensive assistance of residents, balancing needs and routines, and feeling accomplished. Self-report measures demonstrated moderate stress, moderate caring behaviors, responsibility, and competence. MDS 3.0 results showed moderate cognitive impairment, minimal depressive symptoms, and decreased functional status of residents. The mixed methods synthesis confirmed the presence of five attributes of formal caregiver burden: perceived stress, caring for another, dependency of the older adult, responsibility, and competence. Burnout was not confirmed. Future investigation of attributes among a larger, diverse sample of nursing assistants, residents, and nursing homes will advance knowledge and inform research design and methods of interventions. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 16(5), 231-240.].

Factors associated with avoidable hospital transfers among residents in Swiss nursing homes.

Unplanned hospitalizations from nursing homes (NHs) may be considered potentially avoidable and can result in adverse resident outcomes. There is little information about the relationship between a clinical assessment conducted by a physician or geriatric nurse expert before hospitalization and an ensuing rating of avoidability. This study aimed to describe characteristics of unplanned hospitalizations (admitted residents with at least one night stay, emergency department visits were excluded) and to examine this relationship. We conducted a cohort study in 11 Swiss NHs and retrospectively evaluated data from the root cause analysis of 230 unplanned hospitalizations. A telephone assessment by a physician (p=.043) and the need for further medical clarification and treatment (p=<0.001) were the principal factors related to ratings of avoidability. Geriatric nurse experts can support NH teams in acute situations and assess residents while adjudicating unplanned hospitalizations. Constant support for nurses expanding their clinical role is still warranted.

Evaluating the implementation fidelity to a successful nurse-led model (INTERCARE) which reduced nursing home unplanned hospitalisations.

BACKGROUND: Implementation fidelity assesses the degree to which an intervention is delivered as it should be. Fidelity helps to determine if the outcome(s) of an intervention are attributed to the intervention itself or to a failure of its implementation. Little is known about how fidelity impacts the intended outcome(s) and what elements or moderators can affect the fidelity trajectory over time. We exemplify the meaning of implementation fidelity with INTERCARE, a nurse-led care model that was implemented in eleven Swiss nursing homes (NHs) and showed effectiveness in reducing unplanned hospital transfers. INTERCARE comprises six core elements, including advance care planning and tools to support inter- and interprofessional communication, which were introduced with carefully developed implementation strategies. METHODS: A mixed-methods convergent/triangulation design was used to investigate the influence of implementation fidelity on unplanned transfers. A fidelity questionnaire measuring the degree of fidelity to INTERCARE's core components was fielded at four time points in the participating NHs. Two-monthly meetings were conducted with NHs (September 2018-January 2020) and structured notes were used to determine moderators affecting fidelity (e.g., participant responsiveness). We used the fidelity scores and generalized linear mixed models to analyze the quantitative data. The Framework method was used for the qualitative analysis. The quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated using triangulation. RESULTS: A higher overall fidelity score showed a decreasing rate of unplanned hospital transfers post-intervention (OR: 0.65 (CI = 0.43-0.99), p = 0.047). A higher fidelity score to advance care planning was associated with lower unplanned transfers (OR = 0.24 (CI 0.13-0.44), p = < 0.001) and a lower fidelity score for communication tools (e.g., ISBAR) to higher rates in unplanned transfers (OR = 1.69 (CI 1.30-2.19), p = < 0.003). In-house physicians with a collaborative approach and staff's perceived need for nurses working in extended roles, were important moderators to achieve and sustain high fidelity. CONCLUSION: Implementation fidelity is challenging to measure and report, especially in complex interventions, yet is crucial to better understand how such interventions may be tailored for scale-up. This study provides both a detailed description of how fidelity can be measured and which ingredients highly contributed to reducing unplanned NH transfers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The INTERCARE study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov Protocol Record NCT03590470.

Interventions to Prevent Readmissions in Hospitalized Peripheral Vascular Surgery Patients: A Systematic Review.

A large proportion of peripheral vascular patients worldwide experience unplanned hospital readmissions after inpatient vascular surgery. This review was conducted to identify acute care and post-discharge interventions that may help in reducing unplanned vascular surgery readmissions. A computer-based search of four databases was conducted July 2021 for original research reports published 2000 to 2021. Eight studies met inclusion criteria, with interventions including multidisciplinary care teams, advance practice provider discharge coordination, individualized case management, home care nursing, early primary care provider or telephone follow-up, and telehealth driven follow up evaluated. Some reductions in readmission rates were associated with most interventions but were inconsistent across studies. Further research is necessary to clarify and validate these findings, incorporate patient perspectives, and explore the role of technology-based interventions. This work is key to improving the patient's experience, reduce healthcare costs, and strengthen the quality of vascular surgery care.

Discharge process challenges of an academic vascular surgery service: A qualitative study.

Vascular surgery patients have a high incidence of unplanned hospital readmissions and complications. Previous research has not fully examined specific elements of the hospital discharge process for vascular surgery patients to identify issues that may contribute to readmissions. The objective of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore challenges identified by healthcare providers and patients regarding the discharge process from an academic vascular surgery service. Data were collected from eight focus group interviews and analyzed for relevant themes. Patients and healthcare providers identified several challenges within the standard discharge process, including ineffective communication, insufficient time for discharge education, and limitations accessing providers with post-discharge concerns. These obstacles may be ameliorated in part by specialized coordinators, caregiver support, and use of adaptive strategies outside of the current discharge process. The discharge challenges described by study participants likely contribute to adverse post-hospitalization outcomes, including unplanned hospital readmissions. A multifaceted approach that incorporates standardized discharge processes, as well as informal problem-solving strategies, is recommended to improve hospital discharge and outcomes for vascular surgery patients.

Informal Family Caregiving of Patients with Diabetic Extremity Wounds: An Integrative Review.

Annually, 26 million people worldwide develop diabetic extremity wounds, adversely impacting the lives of patients and their family caregivers, who provide vital health assistance to these patients. This integrative review synthesized scientific literature of informal caregiving experiences for patients with diabetic extremity wounds. Five databases were searched for relevant English-language quantitative or qualitative research; ten studies were included in the final analysis. The caregiving experience included disrupted routines, frustration, guilt, poor health care communication, helplessness, and anxiety. Increased caregiver burden and decreased quality of life were associated with higher patient amputation level, worsening wound appearance and patient pain, poor health care communication, lack of social support and/or caregiving help, and lack of caregiver employment outside the home. Future research opportunities include further exploration of caregiver tasks and priorities, caregiving experiences in settings lacking family support structures and equitable health system access, and relationships between the caregiver experience and patient health system utilization.

A qualitative study evaluating the discharge process for vascular surgery patients to identify significant themes for organizational improvement.

OBJECTIVE: Transition from the hospital to an outpatient setting is a multifaceted process requiring coordination among a variety of services and providers to ensure a high-quality discharge. Vascular surgery patients comprise a complex population that experiences high unplanned readmission rates. We performed a qualitative study to identify themes for process improvement for vascular surgery patients. A validated discharge process, RED (Re-Engineered Discharge), was used to identify additional actionable themes to create a more efficient discharge process tailored specifically to the vascular surgery population. METHODS: A prospective, qualitative analysis at a tertiary center using a semi-structured focus group interview guide was performed to evaluate the current discharge process and identify opportunities for improvement. Focus groups were Zoom recorded, transcribed into electronic text files, and were loaded into Dedoose qualitative software for analysis using a directed content analysis approach. Two researchers independently thematically coded each transcript, starting with accepted discharge components to identify new thematic categories. Prior to analysis, all redundancy of codes was resolved, and all team members agreed on text categorization and coding. RESULTS: Eight focus groups with a total of 38 participants were conducted. Participants included physicians (n = 13), nursing/ancillary staff (n = 14), advanced nurse practitioners (n = 2), social worker/dietitian/pharmacist (n = 3), and patients (n = 6). Transcript analyses revealed facilitators and barriers to the discharge process. In addition to traditional RED components, unique concepts pertinent to vascular surgery patients included patient complexity, social determinants of health, technology literacy, complexity of ancillary services, discharge appropriateness, and use of advanced nurse practitioners for continuity. CONCLUSIONS: Specific themes were identified to target and enhance the future vRED (vascular Re-Engineered Discharge) bundle. Thematic targets for improvement include increased planning, organization, and communication prior to discharge to address vascular surgery patients' multiple comorbidities, extensive medication lists, and need for complex ancillary services at the time of discharge. Other thematic barriers discovered to improve include provider awareness of patient health literacy, patient understanding of complex discharge instructions, patient technology barriers, and intrinsic social determinants of health in this population. To address these discovered barriers, organizational targets to improve include enhanced social support, the use of advanced nurse practitioners for education reinforcement, and increased coordination. These results provide a framework for future quality improvement targeting the vascular surgery discharge process.

Health economic evaluation of a nurse-led care model from the nursing home perspective focusing on residents' hospitalisations.

BACKGROUND: Health economic evaluations of the implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) into practice provide vital information but are rarely conducted. We evaluated the health economic impact associated with implementation and intervention of the INTERCARE model-an EBI to reduce hospitalisations of nursing home (NH) residents-compared to usual NH care. METHODS: The INTERCARE model was conducted in 11 NHs in Switzerland. It was implemented as a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation study with a multi-centre non-randomised stepped-wedge design. To isolate the implementation strategies' costs, time and other resources from the NHs' perspective, we applied time-driven activity-based costing. To define its intervention costs, time and other resources, we considered intervention-relevant expenditures, particularly the work of the INTERCARE nurse-a core INTERCARE element. Further, the costs and revenues from the hotel and nursing services were analysed to calculate the NHs' losses and savings per resident hospitalisation. Finally, alongside our cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), a sensitivity analysis focused on the intervention's effectiveness-i.e., regarding reduction of the hospitalisation rate-relative to the INTERCARE costs. All economic variables and CEA were assessed from the NHs' perspective. RESULTS: Implementation strategy costs and time consumption per bed averaged 685CHF and 9.35 h respectively, with possibilities to adjust material and human resources to each NH's needs. Average yearly intervention costs for the INTERCARE nurse salary per bed were 939CHF with an average of 1.4 INTERCARE nurses per 100 beds and an average employment rate of 76% of full-time equivalent per nurse. Resident hospitalisation represented a total average loss of 52% of NH revenues, but negligible cost savings. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of the INTERCARE model compared to usual care was 22'595CHF per avoided hospitalisation. As expected, the most influential sensitivity analysis variable regarding the CEA was the pre- to post-INTERCARE change in hospitalisation rate. CONCLUSIONS: As initial health-economic evidence, these results indicate that the INTERCARE model was more costly but also more effective compared to usual care in participating Swiss German NHs. Further implementation and evaluation of this model in randomised controlled studies are planned to build stronger evidential support for its clinical and economic effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT03590470 ).

Positive effect of the INTERCARE nurse-led model on reducing nursing home transfers: A nonrandomized stepped-wedge design.

BACKGROUND: Unplanned nursing home (NH) transfers are burdensome for residents and costly for health systems. Innovative nurse-led models of care focusing on improving in-house geriatric expertise are needed to decrease unplanned transfers. The aim was to test the clinical effectiveness of a comprehensive, contextually adapted geriatric nurse-led model of care (INTERCARE) in reducing unplanned transfers from NHs to hospitals. METHODS: A multicenter nonrandomized stepped-wedge design within a hybrid type-2 effectiveness-implementation study was implemented in 11 NHs in German-speaking Switzerland. The first NH enrolled in June 2018 and the last in November 2019. The study lasted 18 months, with a baseline period of 3 months for each NH. Inclusion criteria were 60 or more long-term care beds and 0.8 or more hospitalizations per 1'000 resident care days. Nine hundred and forty two long-term NH residents were included between June 2018 and January 2020 with informed consent. Short-term residents were excluded. The primary outcome was unplanned hospitalizations. A fully anonymized dataset of overall transfers of all NH residents served as validation. Analysis was performed with segmented mixed regression modeling. RESULTS: Three hundred and three unplanned and 64 planned hospitalizations occurred. During the baseline period, unplanned transfers increased over time (ß1  = 0.52), after which the trend significantly changed by a similar but opposite amount (ß2  = -0.52; p = 0.0001), resulting in a flattening of the average transfer rate throughout the postimplementation period (ß1  + ß2  ≈ 0). Controlling for age, gender, and cognitive performance did not affect these trends. The validation set showed a similar flattening trend. CONCLUSION: A complex intervention with six evidence-based components demonstrated effectiveness in significantly reducing unplanned transfers of NH residents to hospitals. INTERCARE's success was driven by registered nurses in expanded roles and the use of tools for clinical decision-making.

Decision-Making Involvement, Self-Efficacy, and Transition Readiness in Youth With Sickle Cell Disease.

BACKGROUND: Transition to adult healthcare is a critical time for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with sickle cell disease, and preparation for transition is important to reducing morbidity and mortality risks associated with transition. OBJECTIVE: We explored the relationships between decision-making involvement, self-efficacy, healthcare responsibility, and overall transition readiness in AYAs with sickle cell disease prior to transition. METHODS: This cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with 50 family caregivers-AYAs dyads receiving care from a large comprehensive sickle cell clinic between October 2019 and February 2020. Participants completed the Decision-Making Involvement Scale, the Sickle Cell Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Readiness to Transition Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationships between decision-making involvement, self-efficacy, healthcare responsibility, and overall transition readiness in AYAs with sickle cell disease prior to transition to adult healthcare. RESULTS: Whereas higher levels of expressive behaviors, such as sharing opinions and ideas in decision-making, were associated with higher levels of AYA healthcare responsibility, those behaviors were inversely associated with feelings of overall transition readiness. Self-efficacy was positively associated with overall transition readiness but inversely related to AYA healthcare responsibility. Parent involvement was negatively associated with AYA healthcare responsibility and overall transition readiness. DISCUSSION: While increasing AYAs' decision-making involvement may improve AYAs' healthcare responsibility, it may not reduce barriers of feeling unprepared for the transition to adult healthcare. Facilitating active AYA involvement in decision-making regarding disease management, increasing self-efficacy, and safely reducing parent involvement may positively influence their confidence and capacity for self-management.

A Call to Address RN, Social Work, and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Nursing Homes: Solutions From the Missouri Quality Initiative.

BACKGROUND: US nursing homes (NHs) have struggled to overcome a historic pandemic that laid bare limitations in the number and clinical expertise of NH staff. PROBLEM: For nurse staffing, current regulations require only one registered nurse (RN) on duty 8 consecutive hours per day, 7 days per week, and one RN on call when a licensed practical/vocational nurse is on duty. There is no requirement for a degreed or licensed social worker, and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in NHs cannot bill for services. APPROACH: It is time to establish regulation that mandates a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week, on-site RN presence at a minimum requirement of 1 hour per resident-day that is adjusted upward for greater resident acuity and complexity. Skilled social workers are needed to improve the quality of care, and barriers for APRN billing for services in NHs need to be removed. CONCLUSIONS: Coupling enhanced RN and social work requirements with access to APRNs can support staff and residents in NHs.

Comfort Needs of Cancer Family Caregivers in Outpatient Palliative Care.

Rapid expansion of outpatient palliative care has been fueled by the growing number of people living with cancer and other chronic illnesses whose symptoms are largely managed in the community rather than inpatient settings. Nurses and other palliative care professionals support seriously ill patients and their families, yet little research has specifically examined the needs of cancer family caregivers receiving services from outpatient palliative care teams. To address this gap in the knowledge base, researchers conducted a reflective thematic analysis of qualitative interviews conducted with 39 family caregivers, using Comfort Theory as a theoretical guide. Seven themes describing caregivers' comfort needs were identified, including the need to understand, need for self-efficacy, need to derive meaning, need for informal support, need for formal support, need for resources, and need for self-care. Findings have clear implications for palliative nursing, as they directly address cancer family caregivers' needs in 5 of the 8 domains of care delineated by the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care's Clinical Practice Guidelines. Comprehensive, holistic nursing assessment is suggested to identify family caregivers' needs and plan for delivery of evidence-based interventions shown to decrease burden and improve quality of life.

Testing Re-Engineered Discharge Program Implementation Strategies in SNFs.

The Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) program, designed for hospitals, is being trialed in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) with promising results. This paper reports on the quantitative results of a multimethod study testing two different RED program implementation strategies in SNFs. A pretest-posttest design was used to compare utilization outcomes of two different RED implementation strategies (Enhanced and Standard) and overall group differences in four Midwestern SNFs. In the Standard group there were higher odds of being readmitted in the pre-intervention versus post-intervention period. After adjusting coefficients using Poisson regression, in the pre-intervention period the adjusted number of rehospitalizations for the Standard group was 45% higher at 30 days, 50% higher at 60 days (p = .01), and 39% higher at 180 days (p = .001). SNF RED may be a useful program to reduce rehospitalizations after discharge. Benefit of SNF RED is dependent on degree of adoption of the intervention.

Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease: Challenges With Transition to Adult Health Care.

Because life expectancy has increased greatly in the past few decades for individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD), transition to the adult healthcare setting has become a necessity to continue disease management. Transition for young adults with SCD is associated with declining health outcomes, including increased acute care use and mortality. Nurses can assist young adults with SCD who are at risk after transition by assessing the young adult's ability to carry out disease self-management, facilitating the supportive role of the family, and recognizing young adults who may have difficulty accessing healthcare resources and providers.