Determinants of urgency of nursing home placement

OBJECTS: The aim of this paper was to identify factors affecting the urgency of nursing home placement after introduction of public long-term care insurance. METHODS: The subjects were families including at least one disabled elderly person and one another family member in two cities in Chugoku Prefecture. The measure of the urgency of placement was 0 if the family did not submit any application for placement, 1 if the care managers judged that the elderly person should enter in the future when she/he really needs placement, 2 if the care managers judged that she/he might be able to wait for a short while, and 3 if the care managers judged that she/he should enter as early as possible. Our estimation method was by ordered logit model. The dependent variable was the measure of the urgency and the independent variables were several attributes of the families. In the estimation, we considered the possibility that the coefficients depend on categories of dependent variable. RESULTS: We obtained data for 146 waiting families and 494 others (total 640). There were differences in the urgency of placement among waiting elderly as follows "she/he should enter as early as possible" (28.8%); "she/he can wait for a while" (32.2%), "she/he should enter in the future when she/he really needs placement" (39.0%). The results of multivariate analyses showed that the urgency of placement correlated significantly with the severity of the elderly persons disabilities, the number of primary caregivers' self-symptoms, the family members' negative attitude toward caregiving, residing in city A, not having one's own house and limited use of short-stay facilities due to the circumstances of the providers. CONCLUSION: When judging the urgency of placement, we should consider not only whether the applicant has submitted a request for a nursing home or not, but also differences among the waiting families. The urgency of placement correlates significantly with severity of disability of the elderly person, the number of primary caregivers' self-symptoms, the family members' negative attitude for caregiving, residing in city A, not having one's own house, and limited use of short-stay facilities due to the circumstances of the providers.     

Clinical placement and rurality of career commencement: a pilot study

This article reports on a project that aimed to discover whether rural placement can influence new graduates to take up rural positions, and what factors play a role in the decision-making. This pilot study reports the findings from a pre-survey of students (n = 110) who completed a questionnaire at the end of their rural placement in the Greater Green Triangle region, Australia. Findings are compared with matched questionnaire responses for students who subsequently completed a post-survey after graduation and who commenced work (n = 28). Rural placement appears to be associated with commencing rural practice after graduation. More graduates with an urban home address commenced rural practice than graduates with a rural home address who started their careers in the city. Longer placements may sway those with a city background to start work in a rural area.     

Obesity prevention in preschool native-american children: a pilot study using home visiting

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether maternal participation in an obesity prevention plus parenting support (OPPS) intervention would reduce the prevalence of obesity in high-risk Native-American children when compared with a parenting support (PS)-only intervention. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Forty-three mother/child pairs were recruited to participate. Mothers were 26.5 +/- 5 years old with a mean BMI of 29.9 +/- 3 kg/m(2). Children (23 males) were 22 +/- 8 months old with mean weight-for-height z (WHZ) scores of 0.73 +/- 1.4. Mothers were randomly assigned to a 16-week OPPS intervention or PS alone. The intervention was delivered one-on-one in homes by an indigenous peer educator. Baseline and week 16 assessments included weight and height (WHZ score and weight-for-height percentile for children), dietary intake (3-day food records), physical activity (measured by accelerometers), parental feeding style (Child Feeding Questionnaire), and maternal outcome expectations, self-efficacy, and intention to change diet and exercise behaviors. RESULTS: Changes in WHZ scores showed a trend toward significance, with WHZ scores decreasing in the PS condition and increasing among the OPPS group (-0.27 +/- 1.1 vs. 0.31 +/- 1.1, p = 0.06). Children in the OPPS condition also significantly decreased energy intake (-316 +/- 835 kcal/d vs. 197 +/- 608 kcal/d, p < 0.05). Scores on the restriction subscale of the Child Feeding Questionnaire decreased significantly in the OPPS condition (-0.22+/- 0.42 vs. 0.08+/- 0.63, p < 0.05), indicating that mothers in the OPPS group were engaging in less restrictive child feeding practices over time. DISCUSSION: A home-visiting program focused on changing lifestyle behaviors and improving parenting skills showed promise for obesity prevention in high-risk Native-American children.     

Educating the families of nursing home residents: a pilot study using a computer-based system

OBJECTIVES: To enhance family participation in nursing home care through a Web-based system of interactive video training and interactive communication with the facilities. DESIGN: In this pilot study, focus groups guided the design and development of a prototype computer system for family members of nursing home residents. Its usability and functionality was tested with family members of diverse age and ethnicity. SETTING: Nursing home sites around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 18 family members who were primary decision makers for nursing home residents. Most were elderly females, and 33% were African-Americans. INTERVENTION: Computer-based education on dementia, agitation/aggression, and caregiver strategies. MEASUREMENTS: Knowledge was assessed with a 16 question pretest and posttest. Satisfaction surveys were completed. RESULTS: Knowledge of key principles of dementia care improved significantly (paired t test, t = 5.9(17), P < 0.0001). User satisfaction and "ease of use" received high ratings. CONCLUSION: Computer-based interactive videos can be used to educate family members of nursing home residents on dementia care. A complete curriculum of education and interactive bulletin boards for family inclusion in care planning are currently under development and will be tested to determine any impact on resident quality of life and quality of care outcomes.     

A multihazard, multistrategy approach to home remediation: results of a pilot study

Many residential hazards are disproportionately concentrated in older, urban dwellings and share common underlying causes, such as uncorrected moisture problems and inadequate maintenance and cleaning. Comprehensive and affordable approaches to remediation are needed, but the feasibility and efficacy of such approaches has not been well documented. To address this gap, a multihazard, multimethod intervention, addressing deteriorated lead-based paint and lead dust, vermin, mold, and safety hazards was pilot-tested in a sample of 70 pre-1940 dwellings. Dwellings received paint stabilization, dust lead cleaning, integrated pest management (IPM), mold cleaning, and safety devices, as needed. The median remediation cost for labor and materials was 864.66 dollars (range: 120.00-5235.33 dollars) per dwelling. Environmental conditions were evaluated prior to, immediately following, and an average of 5 months after remediation. Between the baseline and 5-month follow-up periods, significant reductions were achieved in the number of dwellings with multiple (i.e., three or four) problems (75% vs. 23%, P<0.0001); high levels of dust lead on floors and window sills (67% and 46% declines, P<0.01); evidence of cockroaches or rodents (43% and 36% declines, P<0.01); and fire, electrical and/or fall hazards (between 67% and 88% declines, P<0.01). Significant reductions were also observed in the geometric mean (GM) dust lead levels on floors and window sills (13.3 vs. 5.0 microg/ft2 and 210.6 vs. 81.0 microg/ft2, respectively, P<0.0001) and Blatella germanica (Blag1) levels among dwellings with elevated baseline levels (7.7 vs. 0.09 U/g, P<0.0001). Reductions in mold dust levels were of borderline statistical significance (50% decline, P=0.07). The greatest declines in dust lead and Blag1 levels occurred in dwellings having the highest baseline levels and, for Blag1, in dwellings in which occupants attended training sessions. These results indicate that a comprehensive approach to hazard remediation can be highly effective and cost efficient and that overall improvements can be maintained. Further research is needed to clarify the most effective sampling strategies, educational and behavioral interventions, and optimal intervention frequency.     

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus carriage among asymptomatic nursing home personnel: a pilot study

OBJECTIVES: To determine the carriage rate of Staphylococcus aureus (SA), both methicillin sensitive, and methicillin resistant (MRSA), among employees of a nursing home in the absence of an epidemic. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: A 210-bed suburban skilled nursing facility with a low endemic rate of SA infection. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-three asymptomatic employees recruited in two waves. MEASUREMENT: Nasal swabs were cultured for SA; DNA strain typing was performed on MRSA isolates from the first wave of recruits. RESULTS: 21 of 73 (29%) cultures were positive for SA. Ten of these 21 (14% of participating employees) had nasal carriage of MRSA. MRSA carriage was not significantly correlated with age, duration of employment, or job type (clinical vs. non-clinical), and DNA strain typing suggested that employee carriage of MRSA was not the result of a common source. CONCLUSIONS: Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage is common among skilled nursing facility personnel, and MRSA accounts for a substantial proportion of SA carriage among employees, even in the absence of an epidemic. Further research is needed to determine whether the high SA carriage rates among employees reflects work place acquisition, and, if so, whether it poses a hazard to the employees. The low incidence of nosocomial MRSA infections around the time of the study suggests that with usual infection control practices (eg, hand washing), MRSA-colonized caregivers pose little risk to nursing facility residents.     

Noninvasive verification of nasogastric tube placement using a magnet-tracking system: a pilot study in healthy subjects

BACKGROUND: Fluoroscopic verification of nasogastric (NG) feeding tube placement is inconvenient and involves radiation exposure. We tested whether the position of an NG tube can be assessed reliably by a recently introduced magnet-tracking system. METHODS: A small permanent magnet was attached at the end of an NG tube and its position was monitored using an external sensor array connected to a computer. NG tube trajectory, spontaneous movements of the magnet, and its position relative to the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and xiphisternum were assessed in 22 healthy subjects and compared with esophageal manometry. In 12 subjects, localization of the magnet was also compared with fluoroscopy. RESULTS: Magnet-tracking displayed NG tube tip movement reproducibly as it moved vertically in the esophagus and then laterally into the stomach. Compared with manometry, the accuracy and sensitivity of magnet tracking for localization of the NG tube tip, above or below the diaphragm, were 100%. Compared with fluoroscopy, the accuracy of NG tube localization by magnet tracking was 100%. With the magnet in the stomach, but not in the esophagus or LES, low amplitude displacements at a frequency of 3 per minute, consistent with gastric slow wave activity, were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Magnet tracking allows accurate, real-time, 3-dimensional localization of an NG tube with respect to anatomic landmarks. Recorded motor patterns are indicative of the position of the NG tube. Magnet tracking may be a useful tool for bedside placement of nasogastric and enteral feeding tubes.     

Mothers' experiences of their children's detoxification in the home: results from a pilot study

Detoxification from alcohol and/or drugs and the achievement of abstinence without formal treatment is often preferred using community-based supports from local GPs and family. Family members are often involved in the sourcing of information on detoxification and treatment options, user advocacy and provision of remedial supports while detoxifying within the family home. The aim of the research was to describe and explore family experiences of self-detoxification processes from the perspectives of mothers in the Mid West of Ireland. A convenience sample of adult mothers who had experienced their child detoxifying in the home (n=9) were interviewed. The findings illustrated varied personal definitions of detoxification. Addiction stigma and costly experiences of treatment and after care pathways facilitated home detoxification attempts. A lack of GP advice, support and information around safe home detoxification was observed to contribute to information and support seeking from friends, family and community members with home detoxification experience. Self-medication of both licit and illicit substances while detoxifying, and relapse cycles were common. The research highlights the need for inclusive health and social supports provided by GPs, community nurses, RGNs and district nurses for families and individuals detoxifying in the home setting.     

Decreasing the incidence of falls in the nursing home in a cost-conscious environment: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of falls and determine the effectiveness of three simple interventions in decreasing the number of falls in a frail nursing home population. METHODS: Charts and records were reviewed to determine the prevalence of falls. Falls were tracked according to severity and time and place of occurrence. Interventions were made in three areas: (1) Environmental: Room furniture was repositioned. (2) Staffing: One additional staff member was added (by schedule change) at the time when the incidence of falls was highest. (3) Restorative activity program: A program was added at the time when the incidence of falls was high. Falls data were again collected after the intervention. RESULTS: Before intervention, there were 479 falls resulting in 16 fractures; 221 (46%) of the falls occurred during the 3-11 shift and resulted in 63% (n = 10) of the fractures. After intervention, there were a total of 299 falls and 8 fractures. This represents a statistically significant 38% reduction in the total number of falls and a 50% reduction in the total number of fractures during this period. Additionally, falls on the evening and night shifts were significantly reduced from 221 to 115 falls and 91 to 29 falls, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our interventions may have contributed to a decrease in the overall number of falls and resultant fractures. Our data suggest these simple, practical, and easy to implement methods may positively impact the number of falls in other institutions as well.     

Tampering by office-based methadone maintenance patients with methadone take home privileges: a pilot study

Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is among the most widely studied treatments for opiate dependence with proven benefits for patients and society. When misused, however, methadone can also be lethal. The issue of methadone diversion is a major concern for all MMT programs. A potential source for such diversion is from those MMT patients who receive daily take home methadone doses. Using a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography method, seven of the nine patients who were randomly selected to have all of their remaining methadone take home doses (within a 24 hour period) analyzed, returned lower than expected quantities of methadone. This finding suggests the possibility that such patients may have tampered with their daily take home doses. Larger prospective observational studies are clearly needed to test the supposition of this pilot study.     

Oral ddAVP for nighttime urinary incontinence in characterized nursing home residents: a pilot study

OBJECTIVES: To (1) identify abnormalities in arginine vasopressin (AVP, a water-conserving hormone) secretion and release in nursing home (NH) residents with nighttime urinary incontinence (UI); and (2) perform a pilot test of desmopressin acetate (ddAVP, a synthetic analog of the naturally occurring hormone) replacement in these residents. DESIGN: Diagnostic evaluation and open-label treatment trial. SETTING: Two community nursing homes in a metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: Male and female NH residents 65 years of age and older with nighttime UI. INTERVENTION: Characterizations of AVP status followed by a 7-day open-label trial of oral ddAVP (either 0.1 mg or 0.2 mg). MEASUREMENTS: Water deprivation test results, AVP levels, voided volumes, number of voids, incontinent episodes, number of nighttime checks found wet (out of 6 total checks per night). RESULTS: All participants had measurable AVP levels of 2.0 pg/mL or higher. Six of 10 individuals had an abnormal water deprivation test. Two of 4 participants on 0.2 mg of ddAVP and 2 of 6 participants on 0.1 mg had a 200 mL or more mean reduction in nighttime urine volume. Both ddAVP dosages yielded a mean reduction of 0.7 fewer nighttime wet checks found wet. One participant in each group developed hyponatremia (1 of 6 on 0.1 mg and 1 of 4 on 0.2 mg). Hyponatremia resolved with discontinuation of the drug. CONCLUSION: Both 0.1 mg and 0.2 mg of ddAVP given to carefully screened NH residents for 7 days produced a modest average reduction in nighttime urine volume and number of nighttime incontinent episodes that is likely of little clinical importance. The role of ddAVP in this population requires further research.     

Difficulties leaving home: a cross-sectional study of delays in seeking emergency obstetric care in Herat, Afghanistan

This study used an analytical cross-sectional design to identify risk factors associated with delays in care-seeking among women admitted in life-threatening conditions to a maternity hospital in Herat, Afghanistan, from February 2007 to January 2008. Disease-specific criteria of 'near-miss' were used to identify women in life-threatening conditions. Among 472 eligible women and their husbands, 411 paired interviews were conducted, and information on socio-demographic factors; the woman's status and social resources; the husband's social networks; health care accessibility and utilisation; care-seeking costs; and community characteristics were obtained. Decision and departure delays were assessed quantitatively from reported timings of symptom recognition, care-seeking decision, and departure for health facilities. Censored normal regression analyses suggest that although determinants of decision delay were influenced by the nature and symptoms of complications, uptake of antenatal care (ANC) and the birth plan reduced decision delay at the time of the obstetric emergency. Access to care and social networks reduced departure delay. Programmatic efforts may be directed towards exploiting the roles of ANC and social resources in facilitating access to emergency obstetric care.     

Determinants of foster care placement for the maltreated child.

This study examined the records of the North Carolina Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect to determine which social, family, and child characteristics were most influential in the decision to place a child in foster care. These records contained all theoretically relevant factors as well as demographic data. Analysis included the computation of odds ratios for foster care for each of 250 variables. A maximum likelihood logistic regression model was constructed to obtain the independent and cumulative contribution of each factor. Some expected variables such as parental stress factors (substance abuse) and types of abuse (burns and scalds) placed a child at a significant risk for placement in foster care (p less than 0.01). However, less obvious factors such as referral source (law enforcement agencies) or geographic area also placed children at risk. Overall, the model explained little of the variance of these decisions (R2 = 0.168) and poorly predicted placement (sensitivity 66.3 per cent, specificity 74.6 per cent). Using existing data, we were unable to adequately describe the decision process in selecting foster care.     

Say yes to life: a pilot study.

In an attempt to assess whether there are any characteristics which a majority of ordinary people regard as life-affirming or life-denying, a questionnaire was given to a pilot group of 167 respondents, representing three different age and social categories. Five life-affirming and five life-denying characteristics were mentioned by more than 10% of respondents. Of the former, Drive, Sociability, Happiness and Optimism were endorsed by 15-20%. Of the latter, Unsociability and Poor Coping were mentioned by 22%, making them distinctly more frequent than the following categories of Pessimism, Lack of Drive and Unhappiness (11-14%). It is suggested that a number of these subjectively determined characteristics, which the general public perceive as being life-affirming or denying, do indeed influence physical or mental health, illness or illness behaviour. It may therefore be of value to utilize this set of public perceptions in future programmes of health education.     

Impact of physician telephone management of nursing home residents before the initial assessment: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE: To describe physician telephone management of newly admitted nursing home residents before direct evaluation by the physician, and the effect on resident outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of 111 consecutive discharge records from two proprietary community nursing homes in Baltimore, Maryland in 1999. MEASUREMENTS: Data regarding the admission process were collected, with an emphasis on physician telephone orders at admission and all subsequent telephone orders before the first physician visit. Physicians were categorized as attending physicians or on-call physicians. Unexpected outcomes defined as an unplanned admission to an acute hospital or an unanticipated death within 14 days of admission to the nursing home were identified. The relationships among resident, physician, and admission characteristics and unexpected outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Most residents (97 of 111 (87%)) were admitted from an acute hospital, and the remaining 13% were admitted from home or another nursing home. An attending physician confirmed admission orders for 87 of 111 (78%) residents, and an on-call physician confirmed admission orders for the remainder. Physicians changed medications at the time of admission, as compared with preadmission medications, in 58 of 111 (52%) residents and ordered laboratory studies or radiographs in 59 of 111 (53%). On-call physicians were just as likely to make both types of changes as attending physicians. In the time interval after the initial telephone contact but before the first physician visit, medication changes were made in 35 of 111 (32%) residents and testing was ordered in 16 of 111 (14%). Nineteen of 111 (17%) residents were either readmitted to the hospital or died within 14 days of admission to the nursing home. These unexpected outcomes were statistically less likely to occur in the group of residents for whom physicians made medication changes at the time of admission as compared to the group for whom no medication changes were made [6 of 58 (10%) versus 13 of 53 (25%), P = 0.04, respectively], and in the group for whom tests were ordered at the time of admission as compared to not ordered [4 of 59 (7%) versus 15 of 51 (29%), P = 0.002, respectively]. There were no differences in the likelihood of unexpected outcomes when physicians made medication changes or ordered tests after the time of admission but before the first physician visit. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, physicians made adjustments in medications and ordered tests for newly admitted nursing home patients before seeing the resident in the majority of cases. Unexpected outcomes including readmission to the hospital or death within 14 days of admission were less common among those residents when such changes were made at the time of admission. Further studies are needed to identify those changes as well as those resident and physician characteristics that might lead to improved outcomes.     

Nutrition and involuntary weight loss: a pilot study of an educational intervention for nursing home surveyors

OBJECTIVE: To describe the knowledge and attitudes of nursing home (NH) surveyors before and after a brief educational intervention related to nutrition and involuntary weight loss in nursing home residents. DESIGN: A questionnaire covering knowledge and attitudes about nutrition was given 1 month before and 6 months after a targeted educational intervention. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: State of Maryland nursing home surveyors. MEASUREMENTS: A 24-item questionnaire of NH surveyor knowledge (11 items) and attitudes (13 items) regarding issues related to nutrition and involuntary weight loss in NH residents. RESULTS: Overall surveyors' knowledge scores increased from 68% (SD, 17%) pre-intervention to 76% (SD, 18%) post-intervention (P = .11). Knowledge related to the lack of the effect of tube feeding on survival in NH residents with end-stage dementia was the only knowledge item that improved significantly with the intervention (39% correct pre-intervention and 68% correct post-intervention, P = .04). There were no changes in attitudes toward the diagnosis or treatment of nutrition after the intervention. CONCLUSION: Overall, NH surveyor knowledge related to nutrition and involuntary weight loss varied widely across topic areas. Neither knowledge nor attitudes were substantially affected by a brief educational intervention. Development of effective educational interventions for NH surveyors should be a priority for stakeholders in NH care.