Does the Presence of a Dementia Special Care Unit Improve Nursing Home Quality?
- 1 October 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Aging and Health
- Vol. 20 (7), 837-854
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264308324632
Abstract
Objective: This study quantifies the effect of a new dementia special care unit (D-SCU) on the provision of care to all residents in a nursing home (NH). Method: The authors use data from the On-line Survey Certification and Reporting system to identify free-standing NHs that first reported a D-SCU between 1996 and 2003 (N = 1,519). Fixed-effects models estimate the effect of a new D-SCU on the prevalence of each outcome (physical restraints, feeding tubes, and psychotropic medications) while controlling for secular trends. Results: For all NHs, the use of physical restraints declined, the use of antipsychotics increased, and other measures remained relatively constant. The introduction of a D-SCU was not associated with changes in trends for any measure. Discussion: Differences in care processes between NHs with and without D-SCUs are the result of differences in their underlying approach to care, not the result of care practice diffusion from the D-SCU.Keywords
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