Conference Looks at Team Approach to Improving Nursing Home Care

Teams from six regional nursing homes will reveal ways they are enhancing the care and quality of life for residents at a June conference. They are part of a University of Rochester School of Nursing research project aimed at improving care in nursing homes by teaching interdisciplinary teams of staff members how to implement Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

 

“Performance Improvement Teams in Nursing Homes: Delivering Excellence in Resident Care” will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, at the Victor Campus of Finger Lakes Community College, 200 Victor Heights Parkway. The six teams have been working on their quality improvement projects for nearly a year and will share preliminary results.

 

The homes scheduled to present represent five counties: Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Yates and Genesee. They addressed a wide range of issues including preventing falls, reducing hospital readmissions, coordinating documentation, preventing medication errors and reducing disruptive behaviors among residents.

 

The event is free and open to the public and presented by the Greater Rochester Nursing Home Quality Consortium, a forum that brings leaders and staff from rural nursing homes outside of Monroe County together to exchange ideas and collaborate on implementing best practices in resident care.

 

Tobie H. Olsan, Ph.D., M.P.A., R.N., associate professor at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, leads a project team that designed the Consortium. Their work builds upon a 2001 Institute of Medicine report linking staff involvement in quality improvement with ensuring that more older adults have access to safe and high-quality care. Olsan, who received a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration in August to support this work, is looking to recruit new homes to the project.

 

In addition to the team presentations, keynote speaker Paul R. Katz, M.D., professor of medicine in the University of Rochester School of Medicine, will talk about “Innovating Nursing Home Quality Efforts: Critical Elements for Success.”  Those interested in attending the conference are asked to confirm by calling (585) 273-5201 or emailing vicky_conway@urmc.rochester.edu.