Long-Term Care Survey Alert
NEW TOOL COULD REDUCE HOSPITALIZATION OF NURSING HOME RESIDENTS
Clinicians often wish they had a crystal ball to predict which residents with pneumonia can be treated in the facility and which ones require a hospital admission. A new predictive tool developed by David Mehr, at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine and by Ellen Binder, at Washington University School of Medicine,may beable to do just that. The instrument evaluates the nursing home resident's risk of dying from a lower respiratory tract infection by examining several variables, including white blood count, body mass index, pulse rate, ADL status and deterioration in mood. The researchers recently tested the tool in 36 Missouri nursing facilities. Residents with the lowest scores on the instrument showed the lowest mortality rates, according to a study published in the Nov. 21, 2001 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (http://jama.ama-assn.org). If independently validated, the instrument could help clinicians make more effective treatment decisions in caring for residents with LRIs. Keeping residents out of the hospital also prevents transfer trauma and hospital-acquired infections.
Long-Term Care Survey Alert
- Quality Indicators:
TRACK THESE TOP QIs BEFORE SURVEYORS DO
Quality indicators may seem like a burden, but smart facilities recognize them as blessings in [...] - Restorative Care:
SUREFIRE STRATEGIES TO RESTORE YOUR RESTORATIVE CARE PROGRAM
If your facility identifies a system-wide problem with the quality of its restorative nursing program, [...] - Restorative Care:
MAKE SURE YOUR FACILITY GETS PAID FOR RESTORATIVE CARE
Getting paid for restorative services means your facility will have more resources to invest in [...] - Abuse Prevention:
A CULTURE OF CARING CAN ABUSE PROOF YOUR FACILITY
Some work cultures are a recipe for frustration and abuse. And if resident abuse occurs [...] - Accreditation:
GET READY FOR PATIENT SAFETY STANDARDS IN 2003
Hopefully, nursing facilities were taking good notes as they watched hospitals implement sweeping new patient [...] - Quality Care:
TASK SEGMENTATION CAN HELP RESIDENTS MASTER ADLS
Is your nursing facility helping residents break down tasks required to perform activities of daily [...] - Abuse Prevention:
TRAIN THE TRAINER SESSIONS RAISE THE BAR FOR FACILITIES
"Train the trainer" sessions on abuse and neglect conducted this year by the Centers for [...] - Staff Management:
TEACH STAFF THE SECRET TO MAINTAINING CONTROL
That old adage about counting to 10 when you're about to lose control is still [...] - Risk Management:
BIOTERROR THREAT REQUIRES NEW RISK MANAGEMENT FOCUS
Does your facility view bioterrorism as a remote threat? If so, you may not be [...] - Clinical Research:
NEW TOOL COULD REDUCE HOSPITALIZATION OF NURSING HOME RESIDENTS
Clinicians often wish they had a crystal ball to predict which residents with pneumonia can [...] - Survey Violations:
DC NURSING HOMES UNDER FIRE FOR SURVEY VIOLATIONS
Long-term care facilities in the nation's capital are the targets of a scathing congressional report. [...] - Staffing Legislation:
MINNESOTA LAW SPELLS TEMP RELIEF FOR NURSING HOMES
A new Minnesota law is providing some relief for nursing homes gouged by temp agencies [...] - Clinical Research:
RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY LEADING CAUSE OF GASTROENTERITIS
Scientists may have cracked the mystery surrounding the cause of the pervasive gastroen-teritis that afflicts [...] - Clinical Research:
STUDY SAYS FOLIC ACID MAY PROTECT FROM PARKINSONS
Researchers at the National Institute on Aging have come up with another good reason to [...]
