UNC study: Nursing home interventions improve quality of care, reduce staff turnover
July 23, 2009 | |
A study recently released by the UNC Institute on Aging has identified three workplace interventions that are improving quality of care and reducing staff turnover in North Carolina’s nursing homes.
Thomas R. Konrad, PhD, research professor of health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a senior scientist at the Institute on Aging, is a co-author of the study. Previous research has shown that high levels of turnover and worker shortages may compromise both the availability of frontline workers and the quality of care, potentially putting nursing home residents at risk. The study, conducted in North Carolina nursing homes between 2004 and 2007, examined the impact of three programs funded by civil monetary penalties – funds collected from nursing homes for deficiencies in care.
The report was commissioned by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and authored by Konrad, Jennifer Craft Morgan, PhD, and colleagues at the UNC Institute on Aging. The study found nursing homes that implemented the interventions saw several improvements:
“The study shows North Carolina’s unique partnerships between the state, the university and nursing homes are effectively leveraging federal funds to improve the lives of those who live in as well as those who work in nursing homes,” Konrad said. The report, titled “Workplace Interventions, Turnover and Quality of Care Report,” can be downloaded from the WIN A STEP UP website at http://winastepup.org/reports.
For more information, visit the Institute on Aging website, www.aging.unc.edu. Konrad can be reached at (919) 244-8659 or bob_konrad@unc.edu. UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu. |
|