Research Finds Staffing Stability Is Marker of Better Quality of Nursing Homes
Association of Staffing Instability With Quality of Nursing Home Care
This study examined whether staffing instability, defined as the percentage of days below average staffing levels, is associated with nursing home quality when controlling for average staffing levels.
Findings included: staffing instability of licensed practical nurses and certified nurse aides was associated with lower quality across standard quality measures.
This study suggests that holding average staffing levels constant, day-to-day staffing stability, especially avoiding days with low staffing of licensed practical nurses and certified nurse aides, is a marker of better quality of nursing homes. Future research should investigate the causes and potential solutions for instability in staffing in all facilities, including those that may appear well-staffed on average
Mukamel DB, Saliba D, Ladd H, Konetzka RT. Association of Staffing Instability With Quality of Nursing Home Care. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(1):e2250389. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.50389
Staffing Stability Is Marker of Better Quality of Nursing Homes
Day-to-day staffing stability is a marker of better quality of nursing homes, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in JAMA Network Open.
Dana B. Mukamel, Ph.D., from the University of California in Irvine, and colleagues examined whether staffing instability, defined as the percentage of days with below-average staffing levels, is associated with nursing home quality in a quality improvement study conducted at 14,717 nursing homes.
In regression models that included average staffing, there was a significant association observed between a higher percentage of below-average staffing days and worse quality for licensed practical nurses in 10 of 12 models.
“It is clear that average staffing levels do not tell the whole story; now that the data are available to examine more nuanced aspects of staffing, such as the frequency with which a facility has below-average staffing, a more comprehensive view of nursing home staffing should be pursued,” the authors write.
Gotkine, Elana. “Staffing Stability Is Marker of Better Quality of Nursing Homes.” Consumer Health News | HealthDay, 10 Jan. 2023, consumer.healthday.com/physician-s-briefing-nursing-2659086808.html.
Staffing ‘instability’ might be new mandate metric; providers gear up for battle
Average day-to-day staffing levels may be a key way to measure impact on nursing home care quality, a new study finds as federal regulators move closer to their goal of a proposed staffing mandate.
Nursing homes that keep day-to-day nursing staff stable, especially by avoiding days with low LPN or CNA presence, perform better on a variety of patient outcomes, researchers from the University of California and the University of Chicago reported in JAMA Network Open Tuesday.
A first-ever federal mandate, widely feared by providers who find themselves underpaid and hampered by daunting recruitment challenges, is expected to be issued by early this spring.
The researchers behind Tuesday’s JAMA Network Open study say their findings should be used to help shape CMS’ draft proposal.
Marselas, Kimberly. “Staffing ‘Instability’ Might Be New Mandate Metric; Providers Gear up for Battle.” McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, 11 Jan. 2023, www.mcknights.com/news/staffing-instability-might-be-new-mandate-metric-providers-gear-up-for-battle.
