Project description:ObjectiveTo analyze the effect of market-level changes in assisted living supply on nursing home utilization and resident acuity.Data sourcesPrimary data on the supply of assisted living over time were collected from 13 states from 1993 through 2007 and merged with nursing home-level data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting System and market-level information from the Area Resource File.Study designLeast squares regression specification incorporating market and time-fixed effects.Principal findingsA 10 percent increase in assisted living capacity led to a 1.4 percent decline in private-pay nursing home occupancy and a 0.2-0.6 percent increase in patient acuity.ConclusionsAssisted living serves as a potential substitute for nursing home care for some healthier individuals with greater financial resources, suggesting implications for policy makers, providers, and consumers.
Project description:ObjectivesTo describe differences in perceived quality of hospice care for individuals living at home or in a nursing home (NH) or assisted living facility (ALF) through analysis of after-death surveys of family members.DesignRetrospective cohort study using hospice medical record data and Family Evaluation of Hospice Care (FEHC) survey data.SettingLarge, national hospice provider.ParticipantsIndividuals who died while receiving routine hospice care and family caregivers who completed after-death quality-of-care surveys.MeasurementsSurvey results for 7,510 individuals were analyzed using analysis of variance and chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to assess relationship between location of care and overall service quality.ResultsThe overall survey response rate was 27%; 34.5% of families of individuals in ALFs in hospice, 27.4% of those at home, and 22.9% of those in NHs returned the survey (P < .001). Differences in return rate according to primary diagnosis were significant, although differences were not large. Most (84.3%) respondents reported that hospice referral had occurred at the right time, and 63.4% rated service quality as excellent. Hospice care in the NH was less likely to be perceived as excellent.ConclusionThere were significant differences in characteristics of individuals whose family members did and did not return surveys, which has implications for use of after-death surveys to evaluate hospice quality. Lower perceived quality of hospice care in NHs may be related to general dissatisfaction with receiving care in this setting. Survey results have the potential to set priorities for quality improvement, choice of provider, and potentially reimbursement. Underlying causes of differences of perceived quality in different settings of care should be examined.
Project description:To explore patterns of change in nursing home (NH) residents' activities of daily living (ADLs), particularly surrounding acute hospital stays.Longitudinal study using Medicare and Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments.National sample of long-stay NH residents.NH residents who were hospitalized for the seven most-common inpatient diagnoses (N = 40,128). Each hospital admission was at least 90 days after any prior hospitalization and had at least two preceding MDS assessments.The MDS ADL long-form score, a simple sum of seven self-care variables coded from 0 (independent) to 4 (totally dependent) was used to indicate resident ADL function. Scores ranged from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating greater impairment. A linear mixed model describing ADL trajectories was jointly estimated with time-to-event models for mortality and hospital readmission.Before hospitalization, the most common trajectory was stable (53.7%), with 27.5% of residents worsening and 18.8% improving. ADL function after hospital discharge was most often characterized as stable (43.1%) or worsening (39.2%). Mortality (20.3%) was higher for those with worsening prehospital ADL function (28.9%) than for those with stable (19.1%) or improving (11.3%) trajectories. Hospital diagnosis was associated with amount of ADL worsening and rate of subsequent ADL change. Most residents with the best initial function continued to worsen after hospital discharge. Cognitive impairment was associated with poorer ADL function and accelerated worsening of ADLs.For many long-stay NH residents, substantial and sustained ADL worsening accompanies acute hospitalization, so acute hospitalization presents an opportunity to revisit care goals; the results of the current study can help inform decision-making.
Project description:Chronic dehydration mainly occurs due to insufficient fluid intake over a lengthy period of time, and nursing home residents are thought to be at high risk for chronic dehydration. However, few studies have investigated chronic dehydration, and new diagnostic methods are needed. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify risk factors for chronic dehydration by measuring serum osmolality in nursing home residents and also to evaluate whether examining the inferior vena cava (IVC) and determining the IVC collapsibility index (IVC-CI) by ultrasound can be helpful in the diagnosis of chronic dehydration. A total of 108 Japanese nursing home residents aged ?65 years were recruited. IVC measurement was performed using a portable handheld ultrasound device. Fifteen residents (16.9%) were classified as having chronic dehydration (serum osmolality ?295 mOsm/kg). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that chronic dehydration was associated with dementia (odds ratio (OR), 6.290; 95% confidential interval (CI), 1.270-31.154) and higher BMI (OR, 1.471; 95% CI, 1.105-1.958) but not with IVC or IVC-CI. Cognitive function and body weight of residents should be considered when establishing a strategy for preventing chronic dehydration in nursing homes.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:The Food and Drug Administration recommends a reduced dose of nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics in women, yet little is known about the age-, sex-, and dose-specific effects of these drugs on risk of hip fracture, especially among nursing home (NH) residents. We estimated the age-, sex-, and dose-specific effects of nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics on the rate of hip fracture among NH residents. DESIGN AND SETTING:Case-crossover study in US NHs. PARTICIPANTS:A total of 691 women and 179 men with hip fracture sampled from all US long-stay NH residents. MEASUREMENTS:Measures of patient characteristics were obtained from linked Medicare and the Minimum Data Set (2007-2008). The outcome was hospitalization for hip fracture with surgical repair. We estimated rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from conditional logistic regression models for nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics (vs nonuse) comparing 0 to 29?days before hip fracture (hazard period) with 60 to 89 and 120 to 149?days before hip fracture (control periods). We stratified analyses by age, sex, and dose. RESULTS:The average RR of hip fracture was 1.7 (95% CI 1.5-1.9) for any use. The RR of hip fracture was higher for residents aged ?90?years vs <70?years (2.2 vs 1.3); however, the CIs overlapped. No differences in the effect of the hypnotic on risk of hip fracture were evident by sex. Point estimates for hip fracture were greater with high-dose versus low-dose hypnotics (RR 1.9 vs 1.6 for any use), but these differences were highly compatible with chance. CONCLUSIONS:The rate of hip fracture in NH residents due to use of nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics was greater among older patients than among younger patients and, possibly, with higher doses than with lower doses. When clinicians are prescribing a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic to any NH resident, doses of these drugs should be kept as low as possible, especially among those with advanced age.
Project description:Nursing home residents (NHR) have been targeted as a vaccination priority due to their higher risk of worse outcome after COVID-19 infection. The mRNA-based vaccine BTN2b2 was first approved in Europe for NHRs. The assessment of the specific vaccine immune response (both humoral and cellular) at long term in NHRs has not been addressed yet. A representative sample of 624 NHR subjects in Northern region of Spain was studied to assess immune response against full vaccination with BTN2b2. The anti-S1 antibody levels and specific T cells were measured at two and six months after vaccination. 24.4% of NHR had a previous infection prior to vaccination. The remaining NHR were included in the full vaccination assessment group (FVA). After two months, a 94.9% of the FVA presented anti-S1 antibodies, whereas those seronegative without specific cellular response were 2.54%. At long-term, the frequency of NHR within the FVA group with anti-S1 antibodies at six months were 88.12% and the seronegative subjects without specific cellular response was 8.07%. The cellular immune assays complement the humoral test in the immune vaccine response assessment. Therefore, the cellular immune assessment in NHRs allows for the fine tuning of those seronegative subjects with potential competent immune responses against the vaccine.
Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate the cost-effectiveness of routine administration of single-dose zoledronic acid for nursing home residents with osteoporosis in the USA.DesignMarkov cohort simulation model based on published literature from a healthcare sector perspective over a lifetime horizon.SettingNursing homes.ParticipantsA hypothetical cohort of nursing home residents aged 85 years with osteoporosis.InterventionsTwo strategies were compared: (1) a single intravenous dose of zoledronic acid 5 mg and (2) usual care (supplementation of calcium and vitamin D only).Primary and secondary outcome measuresIncremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), as measured by cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained.ResultsCompared with usual care, zoledronic acid had an ICER of $207 400 per QALY gained and was not cost-effective at a conventional willingness-to-pay threshold of $100 000 per QALY gained. The results were robust to a reasonable range of assumptions about incidence, mortality, quality-of-life effects and the cost of hip fracture and the cost of zoledronic acid. Zoledronic acid had a potential to become cost-effective if a fracture risk reduction with zoledronic acid was higher than 23% or if 6-month mortality in nursing home residents was lower than 16%. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that the zoledronic acid would be cost-effective in 14%, 27% and 44% of simulations at willingness-to-pay thresholds of $50 000, $100 000 or $200 000 per QALY gained, respectively.ConclusionsRoutine administration of single-dose zoledronic acid in nursing home residents with osteoporosis is not a cost-effective use of resources in the USA but could be justifiable in those with a favourable life expectancy.