Rating the Importance of Nursing Home Residents' Quality of Life

• Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) Vol. 53; no. 12; pp. 2076 - 2082
• Main Authors: Kane, Robert L., Rockwood, Todd, Hyer, Kathryn, Desjardins, Karen, Brassard, Andrea, Gessert, Charles, Kane, Rosalie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Science Inc 01.12.2005; Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analysis of Variance; Attitude of Health Personnel; Biological and medical sciences; Cognitive Impairment; Consumer Behavior; Florida; Frail Elderly - psychology; General aspects; Geriatrics; Health Care Surveys; Homes for the Aged - standards; Humans; magnitude estimation; Medical personnel; Medical sciences; Minnesota; New Jersey; Nursing; Nursing Homes; Nursing Homes - standards; Older people; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Preferences; Quality of Life; Quality of Life - psychology; Social workers; Value; values; Florida; Minnesota; New Jersey; Human; magnitude estimation; Gerontology; preferences; Preference; values; Value; Resident; Psychophysics; Elderly; Geriatrics; Quality of life
• ISSN: 0002-8614; 1532-5415
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.00493.x

Objectives: To assess how various stakeholders involved with nursing home care rate the importance of various quality‐of‐life (QoL) items for hypothetical residents with varying types of impairment. Design: A community‐based exploratory description of a convenience sample. Setting: Eleven nursing homes in Florida, New Jersey, and Minnesota. Participants: Samples of registered and licensed nurses (RNs and LPNs), certified nursing assistants (CNAs), activities personnel, social workers, physicians, residents, and family members. Measurements: Using a magnitude estimation approach, 17 QoL items were rated in order of importance on each of three hypothetical types of nursing home residents. Results: Overall, there was little variation in the ratings for individual items. Ratings for persons with cognitive impairment were consistently lower. RNs'/LPNs' and CNAs' ratings were generally higher than the others, and physicians' ratings were generally lower. Residents' and families' ratings were generally lower than nurses' ratings. Conclusion: All stakeholders considered QoL to be important and felt that it deserves more attention in practice and regulation. A summary QoL score need not be weighted. Respondents (who were not cognitively impaired) considered QoL less important for residents with cognitive impairment. Value differences between those involved in nursing home care deserve more exploration.