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CONNECT for better fall prevention in nursing homes: results from a pilot intervention study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Colon-Emeric, CS; McConnell, E; Pinheiro, SO; Corazzini, K; Porter, K; Earp, KM; Landerman, L; Beales, J; Lipscomb, J; Hancock, K; Anderson, RA
Published in: J Am Geriatr Soc
December 2013

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether an intervention that improves nursing home (NH) staff connections, communication, and problem solving (CONNECT) would improve implementation of a falls reduction education program (FALLS). DESIGN: Cluster randomized trial. SETTING: Community (n=4) and Veterans Affairs (VA) NHs (n=4). PARTICIPANTS: Staff in any role with resident contact (n=497). INTERVENTION: NHs received FALLS alone (control) or CONNECT followed by FALLS (intervention), each delivered over 3 months. CONNECT used storytelling, relationship mapping, mentoring, self-monitoring, and feedback to help staff identify communication gaps and practice interaction strategies. FALLS included group training, modules, teleconferences, academic detailing, and audit and feedback. MEASUREMENTS: NH staff completed surveys about interactions at baseline, 3 months (immediately after CONNECT or control period), and 6 months (immediately after FALLS). A random sample of resident charts was abstracted for fall risk reduction documentation (n=651). Change in facility fall rates was an exploratory outcome. Focus groups were conducted to explore changes in organizational learning. RESULTS: Significant improvements in staff perceptions of communication quality, participation in decision-making, safety climate, caregiving quality, and use of local interaction strategies were observed in intervention community NHs (treatment-by-time effect P=.01) but not in VA NHs, where a ceiling effect was observed. Fall risk reduction documentation did not change significantly, and the direction of change in individual facilities did not relate to observed direction of change in fall rates. Fall rates did not change in control facilities (falls/bed per year: baseline, 2.61; after intervention, 2.64) but decreased by 12% in intervention facilities (falls/bed per year: baseline, 2.34; after intervention, 2.06); the effect of treatment on rate of change was 0.81 (95% confidence interval=0.55-1.20). CONCLUSION: CONNECT has the potential to improve care delivery in NHs, but the trend toward improving fall rates requires confirmation in a larger ongoing study.

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Published In

J Am Geriatr Soc

DOI

EISSN

1532-5415

Publication Date

December 2013

Volume

61

Issue

12

Start / End Page

2150 / 2159

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Virginia
  • Program Evaluation
  • Program Development
  • Pilot Projects
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Nursing Homes
  • North Carolina
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Geriatrics
 

Citation

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MLA
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Colon-Emeric, C. S., McConnell, E., Pinheiro, S. O., Corazzini, K., Porter, K., Earp, K. M., … Anderson, R. A. (2013). CONNECT for better fall prevention in nursing homes: results from a pilot intervention study. J Am Geriatr Soc, 61(12), 2150–2159. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12550
Colon-Emeric, Cathleen S., Eleanor McConnell, Sandro O. Pinheiro, Kirsten Corazzini, Kristie Porter, Kelly M. Earp, Lawrence Landerman, et al. “CONNECT for better fall prevention in nursing homes: results from a pilot intervention study.J Am Geriatr Soc 61, no. 12 (December 2013): 2150–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12550.
Colon-Emeric CS, McConnell E, Pinheiro SO, Corazzini K, Porter K, Earp KM, et al. CONNECT for better fall prevention in nursing homes: results from a pilot intervention study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2013 Dec;61(12):2150–9.
Colon-Emeric, Cathleen S., et al. “CONNECT for better fall prevention in nursing homes: results from a pilot intervention study.J Am Geriatr Soc, vol. 61, no. 12, Dec. 2013, pp. 2150–59. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/jgs.12550.
Colon-Emeric CS, McConnell E, Pinheiro SO, Corazzini K, Porter K, Earp KM, Landerman L, Beales J, Lipscomb J, Hancock K, Anderson RA. CONNECT for better fall prevention in nursing homes: results from a pilot intervention study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2013 Dec;61(12):2150–2159.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Am Geriatr Soc

DOI

EISSN

1532-5415

Publication Date

December 2013

Volume

61

Issue

12

Start / End Page

2150 / 2159

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Virginia
  • Program Evaluation
  • Program Development
  • Pilot Projects
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Nursing Homes
  • North Carolina
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Geriatrics