A staff training and management intervention in VA long-term care: impact on feeding assistance care quality

Efforts to translate efficacious interventions into long-term care practice have had limited success due to the lack of consideration of key translational intervention components. A multi-faceted intervention was implemented in two veteran affairs facilities to improve feeding assistance care. There...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Translational behavioral medicine 2013-06, Vol.3 (2), p.189-199
Main Authors: Simmons, Sandra F., Durkin, Daniel W., Shotwell, Matthew S., Erwin, Scott, Schnelle, John F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cross Cultural Psychology
Family Medicine
General Practice
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Health Psychology
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Original Research
Public Health
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Summary:Efforts to translate efficacious interventions into long-term care practice have had limited success due to the lack of consideration of key translational intervention components. A multi-faceted intervention was implemented in two veteran affairs facilities to improve feeding assistance care. There were three study phases: baseline, intervention, and follow-up. During each phase, trained research staff conducted standardized observations of 12 meals/participant to assess feeding assistance care quality. The staff received three initial training sessions followed by six consecutive weeks of feedback sessions wherein the observation-based care process measures were shared with the staff. There were significant, but modest, improvements in mealtime feeding assistance care processes, and most of the improvements were maintained during follow-up. A multi-faceted intervention resulted in significant, but modest, improvements in mealtime feeding assistance care quality. Organizational (staff schedules, communication) and environmental (dining location) barriers were identified that interfered with improvement efforts.
ISSN:1869-6716
1613-9860
DOI:10.1007/s13142-013-0194-3