The “Kansas Nursing Facility Project,” led by principal
investigator, Marge Bott, RN, PhD, is a study funded by the Kansas
Department on Aging (KDOA). The goal of the project is to provide
KDOA information that can be used to refine the state survey process
and to provide nursing homes and nursing home provider associations
with information useful in improving resident care and health.
The purpose of the project is to conduct an in-depth evaluation of
nursing home care in the state by an independent, interdisciplinary
research team. The team is comprised of researchers hailing from a
variety of backgrounds including the Kansas School of Nursing,
Health Policy and Management, and the School of Social Welfare.
During the first year of the study, project members performed a
comprehensive evaluation of the state survey process that consisted
of conducting focus groups and overseeing simultaneous surveys of
Kansas nursing homes. This information was combined with existing
data (e.g. Medicaid Cost Reports, OSCAR data and the Minimum Data
Set) to examine research questions including, among others: 1) How
consistent is the state survey process?; 2) what facility
characteristics are significantly related to survey results?; and 3)
what facility characteristics are related to quality of care? For a
full report of Year 1 findings please click here:
PDF
document, 375 kb
The second year of this project consisted of ongoing analyses with
existing data sets and additional on-site data collection. Project
team members visited 100 Kansas nursing homes across the state to
obtain information from staff members about organizational culture,
including communication, teamwork, and leadership in their homes.
Questionnaires were also mailed to all nursing homes in Kansas
inquiring about organizational characteristics, such as education
and experience of facility staff and support facilities received.
All of these data were combined and analyzed to present a broader
picture of nursing home staff characteristics and how the
organizational culture of a nursing home may affect resident care.
For a full report of Year 2 findings please click here:
PDF
document, 474 kb
The third year of this project involved 20 site visits to nursing
homes in Kansas to evaluate resident and family satisfaction.
Additionally, together with 20 nursing facility volunteers, we began
a falls consortium with the aim of developing successful strategies
for reducing fall rates in nursing homes across the state. For a
full report of Year 3 findings please click here:
PDF
document, 577 kb
Alternately, you can view individual chapters of the Year 3 Report
by clicking on one of the following links:
Currently, the study is in its fourth year and will continue data analyses and further data collection activities aimed at evaluating and improving resident care and health. Over the course of the next two years, project staff will study the process of culture change in Kansas nursing homes which will include evaluating an instrument designed to measure culture change activities.
The team members wish to extend their sincere gratitude to the Kansas nursing homes, provider associations, and the Kansas Department on Aging for their continued support and interest in the project. For more information about the project contact the Project Director, Annette Becker.
Other Project Team Members:
Nancy Dunton, PhD, University of Kansas School of Nursing,
ndunton@kumc.edu
Byron Gajewski, PhD, University of Kansas School of Nursing and
School of Allied Health,
bgajewski@kumc.edu
Marcia Wrona, BSW, University of Kansas School of Allied Health,
mwrona@kumc.edu
Valorie Coffland, MA, University of Kansas School of Nursing,
vcoffland@kumc.edu
Robert Lee, PhD, University of Kansas Health Policy and
Management, rlee2@kumc.edu
Wanda Bonnel, ARNP, PhD, University of Kansas School of Nursing,
wbonnel@kumc.edu
Diane Boyle, RN, PhD, University of Kansas School of Nursing,
dboyle@kumc.edu
Ellen Averett, PhD, University of Kansas Health Policy and
Management, eaverett@kumc.edu
Rosemary Chapin, PhD, University of Kansas School of Social
Welfare, rchapin@ku.edu
Roxanne Rachlin, MHSA, University of Kansas School of Social
Welfare, roxanner@ku.edu
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The University of Kansas Medical Center