Long-term Care

Research Findings

Research Activities, August 2008:
Hospice care saves money for Medicare and Medicaid patients in nursing homes
Encouraging nursing home residents to participate in their care helps them maintain function and physical performance

Research Activities, June 2008:
Use of dementia treatments is similar in community and long-term care settings

Research Activities, May 2008:
Researchers examine the relationship of workarounds to technology implementation and medication safety in nursing homes
Staff education and performance feedback only slightly improve fracture prevention among nursing home residents
Nursing home residents likely to receive diagnosis and pills for depression but not psychotherapy

Research Activities, April 2008:
Physicians and terminal patients need to communicate better with each other about end-of-life care options
Certain interventions have the potential to reduce costly and risky hospitalizations of the frail elderly
Conference on assisted living reveals its evolution, dearth of research, and quality of life for residents

Research Activities, March 2008:
Few nursing home residents receive medications and supplements for osteoporosis
More than half a million patients visit the emergency department for severe sepsis each year

Research Activities, February 2008:
Staffing levels and turnover are influenced by nursing home expenditure patterns
Medicare drug plans cover a good selection of drugs for nursing home residents, but plan vigilance should continue
Financial incentives to physicians and long-term care facilities may foster adoption of computerized drug systems

Research Activities, November 2007:
Nursing home report cards have prompted many nursing homes to improve care, especially those with poor scores

Research Activities, September 2007:
Nurses and physicians have different perspectives and roles in medical decisions affecting nursing home residents

Research Activities, July 2007:
Certain resident and facility characteristics and medications increase the risk of fractures among nursing home residents
Urinary incontinence is common among residents of Southeastern nursing homes, especially among black residents

Research Activities, June 2007:
A fall management program in nursing homes improves care and reduces use of physical restraints

Research Activities, April 2007:
Rural nursing home residents with dementia are less likely than their urban counterparts to undergo intensive end-of-life care

Research Activities, March 2007:
Reducing turnover of registered nurses and certified nursing assistants will help maintain nursing home staffing levels

Research Activities, February 2007:
Shifting from a culture of blame to a culture of safety in nursing homes could help identify and prevent medical errors
Proportion of black residents, profit status, and community locale influence the type of care provided at U.S. nursing homes
Advance care plans of nursing home residents vary by age, race/ethnicity, and income

Research Activities, January 2007:
Missed opportunities: Too few Americans are being screened or counseled to prevent colorectal cancer, obesity, and other conditions

Research Activities, December 2006:
Journal supplement reviews evidence for the efficacy of telemedicine and telecare
The decision to hospitalize nursing home residents is driven primarily by residents' preference and quality of life
A pain medication appropriateness scale reveals that many nursing home residents suffer from poorly controlled pain

Research Activities, November 2006:
Increasing the time that nurses spend with nursing home residents is key to improving their job satisfaction

Research Activities, August 2006:
Modifying unhealthy habits in middle age may reduce the likelihood of nursing home admissions later in life
Older veterans need to become more actively involved in hospital discharge planning for their post-hospital needs

Research Activities, July 2006:
Greater use of agency nurses in nursing homes may lead to poorer quality of care

Research Activities, June 2006:
Adverse incident reporting system improves documentation of falls in nursing homes to guide prevention of future falls

Research Activities, May 2006
Nursing homes that emphasize team effort and staff flexibility are more likely to sustain improvements in quality of care
Nursing home working conditions are linked to care performance
Greater Medicare HMO penetration is associated with a shift in elderly stroke deaths from hospital to non-hospital settings
Improved recognition and treatment of emotional problems may indirectly improve the elderly's use of preventive care

Research Activities, February 2006:
Implementation of computerized order entry systems with clinical decision support in long-term care facilities is a challenge

Research Activities, November 2005:
Very elderly patients are more likely to need skilled nursing care after coronary bypass surgery

Research Activities, October 2005:
Nursing home expenditures are sensitive to market competition and excess demand conditions
Medicare expenditures among residents of assisted living facilities are similar to those of community-dwelling elderly

Research Activities, September 2005:
Hospitalization rates vary for nursing home residents with suspected pneumonia

Research Activities, August 2005:
Traditional values underlie older Korean Americans' preference for informal over formal long-term care arrangements
Patients most likely to benefit from stroke rehabilitation are least likely to be selected

Research Activities, July 2005:
Adverse drug events occur frequently in long-term care facilities, and nearly half of them are preventable
Nursing homes vary widely in their hospitalization of residents, particularly those with Alzheimer's disease

Research Activities, June 2005:
Nurses tend to use individual behavioral and visual cues to assess pain in nursing home residents
Resident and facility characteristics affect the amount of direct care time received by elders in supportive housing
Nursing home complaints, taken together with other measures, can be used to assess nursing home quality of care

Research Activities, May 2005:
Study cites several barriers to adoption of guideline-recommended osteoporosis care for frail nursing home residents
Informal care of elderly parents by adult children limits use of nursing home and other formal care and shortens hospital stays

Research Activities, April 2005:
Prehypertension accounts for a substantial number of hospitalizations, nursing home admissions, and premature deaths
Nursing home quality of care may suffer if budget shortfalls force States to freeze or reduce Medicaid rates

Research Activities, February 2005:
Policies are being considered to extend medical malpractice tort reforms to the nursing home sector

Research Activities, January 2005:
Nursing homes that employ physician extenders and provide training for nurses' aides have fewer hospitalizations
Medicaid may be an important key to linking older individuals in rural areas with formal home health care
Medicare managed care enrollees make significant use of home health benefits, but low education limits use of medical equipment

Research Activities, December 2004:
Patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers need a comprehensive care program that addresses problem behaviors
Nursing home treatment for lower respiratory infection is safe and less costly than hospitalization for some residents

Research Activities, November 2004:
Prehypertension is a considerable health risk, particularly in people aged 45 and older
Structured health programs can greatly help frail older adults and their family caregivers
Knowledge of pain medication and its management could be improved among nursing home staff

Research Activities, October 2004:
Daily visit volume is similar for dying patients receiving hospice care in nursing homes and in the community
Cognitive testing can indicate when patients with Alzheimer's disease may lose the ability to make medical decisions

Research Activities, September 2004:
Communication problems often contribute to untimely care of acute infections in nursing homes
Researchers compare treatment of U.S. and Dutch nursing home residents with dementia who develop lower respiratory infections

Research Activities, August 2004:
Education and team leadership can improve care for ICU patients on mechanical ventilation
Residents are more likely to transfer out of nursing homes with low quality of care
Blacks are more likely than others to be admitted to poor quality nursing homes
Researchers examine factors affecting the quality of end-of-life care
Incontinence alone does not increase risk of death or nursing home admission but is probably a marker of frailty

Research Activities, June 2004:
Nursing homes generally respect residents' do-not-hospitalize orders, but not always
Researchers examine Medicare costs and use of hospice care
Nursing home staffing and quality improved after passage of the Nursing Home Reform Act

Research Activities, May 2004:
Doctors should target chronic disease and functioning among frail older patients to lower the risk of hospitalization
More than half of assisted living facilities will not admit individuals who have moderate cognitive impairment or behavioral problems or need assistance with transfer
Increased State Medicaid reimbursement for nursing home care reduces residents' risk of being hospitalized

Research Activities, March 2004:
Only about half of stroke survivors living in nursing homes receive medicine to prevent another stroke
Medicare's role in financing nursing home care has greatly expanded

Research Activities, January 2004:
Residents of assisted living facilities with a full-time RN are less likely to leave the facility for a nursing home
Providing rehabilitation to newly admitted nursing home residents increases the likelihood of community discharge and lengthens survival
Researchers examine factors affecting diagnosis of acute illness and mental health conditions among nursing home residents