Quality of nursing home care: perceptions of physicians, psychologists, and nurse practitioners

Physicians, psychologists, and nurse practitioners rated the quality of nursing home care and the importance and feasibility of improvement strategies. Overall care was rated better than care of residents, followed by treatment of staff. Physicians rated care highest and nurse practitioners rated it lowest. In terms of suggestions for quality improvement, improving treatment of frontline staff and of families was rated as most important overall. We found differences across professional groups in recommended improvements, a finding that suggests the importance of interdisciplinary communication and developing an integrated viewpoint in optimizing care for older persons.