Quality-of-life Assessment
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
|
|
PROTOCOL PURPOSE
In this section we present a protocol for conducting quality-of-life assessment interviews with nursing home residents that not only elicits information useful for improvement efforts but also is feasible to implement given the time- and cost-constraints in most facilities.
Based on research we conducted over the past eight years (see
Related Studies), the protocol provides instruction on how to design and implement an assessment strategy that aims to achieve either or both of two goals:
- identifies nursing home care processes in need of improvement
- yields information useful for designing and evaluating improvement interventions
In keeping with a fundamental tenet of quality improvement (see Fundamentals for a New Assessment Strategy), it recognizes resident self-reports as the gold standard for assessing quality of life and satisfaction with care.
The protocol is flexible, so it allows you to develop an assessment strategy that takes into account your resident population and your facility's resources. It presents general guidelines to work within, but leaves most of the decision-making to you: Do you want to interview all residents or a subpopulation? Do you want to assess current residents or only new admissions? Do you want to evaluate quality of care across a broad range of domains or narrow the focus to a single care process? Though it is now common practice to assess consumer satisfaction in the managed care and hospital industries, such assessment is a relatively new practice in the long-term-care business. Often with new practices, the hardest part is just getting started. This protocol can help you clear that obstacle.
(Previous | Next)
|
|
|
