Accidental falls are preventable adverse events for older post-acute care (PAC) patients. Yet, due to the functional and medical care needs of this population, there is little guidance to inform multidisciplinary prevention efforts. This scoping review aims to characterize the evidence for multifactorial PAC fall prevention interventions. Of the 33 included studies, common PAC intervention domains included implementing facility-based strategies (e.g., staff education), evaluating patient-specific fall risk factors (e.g., function), and developing an individualized risk profile and treatment plan that targets the patient’s constellation of fall risk factors. However, there was variability across studies in how and to what extent the domains were addressed. While further research is warranted, health system efforts to prevent accidental falls in PAC should consider a patient-centered multifactorial approach that fosters a culture of safety, addresses individuals’ fall risk, and champions a multidisciplinary team.
Stakeholders, including policymakers, have prioritized the need to educate nursing home (NH) staff about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Despite this prioritization and the relationship between staff training and outcomes, dementia-specific knowledge is variable. This study examined state-level training policies between 2011-2016. During this time 12 states (regulators and payers) implemented NH dementia training requirements, creating an opportunity for a natural experiment between states with and without new requirements. We estimated difference-in-differences models to determine the effect of state requirements on outcomes. Data from Nursing Home Compare and LTCFocus.org were linked to data on state policies. Training requirements were associated with 0.39 and 0.17 percentage point reductions in antipsychotics use and restraint use, respectively, and no impact on falls or need for help with daily activities. State requirements for dementia training in NHs are associated with a small, but significant reduction in the use of antipsychotic medication and physical restraints.
Despite national efforts to improve nursing home (NH) quality, care remains variable. Health system efforts to drive improvement often begin with a sub-group of NHs before scaling up across the organization. Yet, there is limited evidence on who to target for the first group. This study addressed this gap by examining facility characteristics of early and late adopters within a multi-site pragmatic clinical trial. Data were obtained from the Organizational Readiness to Change Assessment (ORCA), which was completed by expert trainers, and Nursing Home Compare. Early and late adoption was operationalized according to Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations. Sixty-percent of NHs (n=12) were late adopters and 40% (n=8) were early adopters. Between group differences (p<.01) were found in number of health inspection citations and context domain within the ORCA. These findings equip health systems with evidence on how to strategically target partners for initial quality improvement efforts prior to system-wide implementation.
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