Abstract
There is a critical need to improve quality of care in long term service and support settings (LTSS).1 Elderspeak communication is linked to behavioral and psychological symptom responses (BPSD) in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia.2 The Changing Talk (CHAT) intervention improved staff communication and reduced resident BPSD in NH care.3,4 To evaluate effects of the CHAT intervention, we compared NH-level quality measures before and after participation in intervention and control groups. Aggregate minimum data set data was extracted for the quarter before and after NHs participated as intervention or no-treatment controls in years 1 and 2 of the CHATO national trial.5 Antipsychotic medication administration, used to control BPSD, increased by 0.4% (SD=5.5) from pre- to post-education for intervention group NHs (n=21), compared to a mean increase of 1.5% (SD=7) for control group NHs (N=45). Antianxiety medication use decreased by 1.3% (SD=4.1) after training in intervention NHs (N=21), compared to an increase of 0.3% (SD=5.9) in control NHs (N=46). Restraint use declined by 0.3% for intervention NHs (N=22) from 0.7% (SD= 1.8) compared to control NHs (N=47) that had no restraint use at either time interval. Although not statistically significant, the intervention group demonstrated improved quality on all indicators, while control NHs remained stable or demonstrated reduced quality. This study provides evidence that staff education can make a facility-wide impact on quality of care.
Notes
References: 1. National Plan to Address Alzheimer's disease: 2023 Update. https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/3c45034aec6cf63414b8ed7351ce7d95/napa-national-plan-2023-update.pdf. Accessed August 14, 2024.
2. Williams, K., Herman, R., Gajewski, B., & Wilson, K. (2009). Elderspeak communication: Impact on dementia care. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 24, 11-20.
3. Williams KN, Perkhounkova Y. Educating Nursing Home Staff in Dementia Sensitive Communication: Impact on Antipsychotic Medication Use. J Am Med Dir Assoc. Dec 2018;19(12):1129-1132. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2018.09.01.
4. Williams K, Perkhounkova Y, Herman R, Bossen A. A Communication Intervention to Reduce Resistiveness in Dementia Care: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. The Gerontologist. 2017;57(4):707-718. doi:10.1093/geront/gnw047.
5. Williams K, Coleman CK, Shaw CA, et al., Changing Talk Online: Protocol for a cluster pragmatic trial testing communication education to reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in nursing home care, Contemporary clinical trials. 2021;109(106550). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2021.106550.
Sigma Membership
Delta
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quality Improvement
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Continuing Education, Long-term Care, Virtual Learning, Quality of Care, Elderspeak
Recommended Citation
Williams, Kristine; Shaw, Clarissa; Hein, Maria; Perkhounkova, Yelena; Coleman, Carissa; Yang, Frances M.; and Roche-Dean, Maria, "Effects of a Communication Intervention on Nursing Home Quality Indicators" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 23.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/23
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Effects of a Communication Intervention on Nursing Home Quality Indicators
Seattle, Washington, USA
There is a critical need to improve quality of care in long term service and support settings (LTSS).1 Elderspeak communication is linked to behavioral and psychological symptom responses (BPSD) in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia.2 The Changing Talk (CHAT) intervention improved staff communication and reduced resident BPSD in NH care.3,4 To evaluate effects of the CHAT intervention, we compared NH-level quality measures before and after participation in intervention and control groups. Aggregate minimum data set data was extracted for the quarter before and after NHs participated as intervention or no-treatment controls in years 1 and 2 of the CHATO national trial.5 Antipsychotic medication administration, used to control BPSD, increased by 0.4% (SD=5.5) from pre- to post-education for intervention group NHs (n=21), compared to a mean increase of 1.5% (SD=7) for control group NHs (N=45). Antianxiety medication use decreased by 1.3% (SD=4.1) after training in intervention NHs (N=21), compared to an increase of 0.3% (SD=5.9) in control NHs (N=46). Restraint use declined by 0.3% for intervention NHs (N=22) from 0.7% (SD= 1.8) compared to control NHs (N=47) that had no restraint use at either time interval. Although not statistically significant, the intervention group demonstrated improved quality on all indicators, while control NHs remained stable or demonstrated reduced quality. This study provides evidence that staff education can make a facility-wide impact on quality of care.
Description
We compared changes in nursing home quality metrics before and after staff communication education in intervention and control groups. The intervention group improved on all indicators, while controls reported stable or reduced quality. This study provides evidence that staff education can improve quality of care.