National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee Proposes Recommendations for Improving Quality of Care in Nursing Homes

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee presented the goals and recommendations associated with care delivery, quality measurement, and quality improvement in a study published in Public Policy and Aging Report.

“Despite the long-standing expectation that the care provided to nursing home residents is holistic and focused on individual needs and preferences, the Committee found that, even prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the quality of care in nursing homes was neither consistently comprehensive nor of high quality,” explained corresponding author Marilyn Rantz, PhD, RN, FAAN, Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, and coauthor. “Based on these findings, the Committee articulated seven overarching goals to improve the quality of nursing home care.”

Among the goals identified, the first involves person-centered care and care delivery models. The committee made this goal the foundation for subsequent recommendations. Another goal is to expand and enhance quality measurement and continuous quality improvement. Moreover, achieving quality improvement goals involves effectively assisting nursing homes in implementing evidence-based guidance for care practices and tailoring them to meet the needs of individual facilities.

The Committee found that there were shortcomings in services related to behavioral and psychological care, as well as palliative and end-of-life care, and hearing, vision, and oral health care. The Committee recommended conducting thorough research and demonstration projects to experiment with and enhance innovative care delivery models. The report also proposes changes to fund, deliver, evaluate, and regulate nursing home care and highlights the need for urgent action to improve it.

“Finally, members of the Society and its membership should keep public pressure on federal and state governments, CMS, and other federal and state agencies to implement the recommendations in the Report,” wrote the study authors.

Reference

Rantz M, Ersek M. Care delivery, quality measurement, and quality Improvement in nursing homes: Issues and recommendations from the National Academies' report on the quality of care in nursing homes. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2023;71(2):329-334. doi:10.1111/jgs.18275