OBJECTIVES The study objectives were (1) to test whether interfacility communication of health information at the time of patient transfer changed as a result of implementation of US privacy protection measures (HIPAA) in April 2003, and (2) to examine patient, transfer, and illness characteristics correlated with interfacility transfer document completion. DESIGN Observational study. PARTI...

Background In our psychiatric hospital we have a guideline in order to regulate the use of coercitive measures (isolation in specials rooms and use of safety straps). These measures are the last kind of intervention we use. The guideline defines us the procedure for using the different measures, nursing and medical cares, controls, observation, etc. In this work we analyze the use of coercive m...

BACKGROUND In 1993, New Zealand (NZ) implemented policies aimed at controlling costs in the country's public health care system through market competition, generic management, and managerialism. The cost control focus was similar to reengineering efforts implemented by other countries struggling with escalating health care costs, particularly the United States. OBJECTIVE The study's purpose w...

Information on the impact of pay-for-performance programs is lacking in the nursing home setting. This literature review (1980-2007) identified 13 prior examples of pay-for-performance programs in the nursing home setting: 7 programs were active as of 2007, while 6 had been terminated. The programs were mostly short-lived, varied considerably in the choice of performance measures and pay incent...

Aim: A discussion of the measurement of functional status in cardiovascular research. Background: Selection of appropriate outcome measures and instrumentation is vital for nurse researchers to ensure that outcomes align conceptually and are measured using reliable and valid tools. Functional status is a well-known outcome in cardiovascular research—however attention to underlying conceptual di...

BACKGROUND Nurse-sensitive indicators and nurses' satisfaction with the quality of care are two commonly used ways to measure quality of nursing care. However, little is known about the relationship between these kinds of measures. This study aimed to examine concordance between nurse-sensitive screening indicators and nurse-perceived quality of care. METHODS To calculate a composite performa...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of small-scale living facilities in dementia care on residents, family caregivers, and staff. DESIGN This was a quasi-experimental study including 2 types of institutional nursing care: small-scale living facilities (experimental group), and regular psychogeriatric nursing home wards (control group). Three measures were conducted...

involve measures to increase bone density, prevent falls, and protect the hip. The introduction of once weekly dosing of alendronate and risedronate is expected to increase the utilization of such therapies in the nursing home. The recent approval of parathyroid hormone therapy adds a new powerful medication that may help nursing home patients with severe osteoporosis. (Annals of Long-Term Care...

Staffing level requirements for nursing homes exist at state and federal levels in the United States. While quality of care measures may include antipsychotic (AP) prescribing, the appropriate use of APs as chemical restraints in nursing homes continues to be debated. Although the two variables appear to be related, improved research methods and availability of accurate staffing data will be ne...

Nurse educators are uniquely positioned to improve obesity-related attitudes and beliefs among prelicensure nursing students. A bariatric sensitivity intervention using 6 trigger films with facilitated debriefing was designed and delivered to 70 first-semester baccalaureate nursing students. Attitudes and beliefs significantly improved immediately after the intervention on 3 of the 5 attitude m...