Skip to main content
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1977 Apr;67(4):337–344. doi: 10.2105/ajph.67.4.337

Patient outcome as a measure of quality of nursing home care.

M W Linn, L Gurel, B S Linn
PMCID: PMC1653607  PMID: 848617

Abstract

One thousand males transferred from a general medical hospital into 40 community nursing homes were classified by their physicians as to expectations of outcome within six months and measured on physical functioning at the time of their transfer. They were followed up six months later and retested on functional status. Subjects were classified on follow-up as improved, the same deteriorated, or dead. They were also classified as discharged from the nursing home, still in the home, or readmitted to the hospital. Nursing homes were measured every six months on structural variables. Outcomes of the patients were related to the nursing home characteristics by multivariate analysis of variance, controlling for expected outcome, age, and diagnoses of cancer and chronic brain disease. Homes with more RN hours per patient were associated with patients being alive, improved, and discharged from the home. Better ratings on meal services were related to being alive and improved. A higher professional staff-to-patient ratio, better medical records, and more services were related to being discharged from the nursing home.

Full text

PDF
339

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALDRICH C. K., MENDKOFF E. Relocation of the aged and disabled: a mortality study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1963 Mar;11:185–194. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1963.tb00047.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson N. N. Approaches to improving the quality of long-term care for older persons. Gerontologist. 1974 Dec;14(6):519–524. doi: 10.1093/geront/14.6.519. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Anderson N. N., Stone L. B. Nursing Homes: research and public policy. Gerontologist. 1969 Autumn;9(3):214–218. doi: 10.1093/geront/9.3_part_1.214. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brook R. H., Appel F. A. Quality-of-care assessment: choosing a method for peer review. N Engl J Med. 1973 Jun 21;288(25):1323–1329. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197306212882504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brook R. H. Critical issues in the assessment of quality of care and their relationship to HMOs. J Med Educ. 1973 Apr;48(4 Suppl):114–134. doi: 10.1097/00001888-197304000-00028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chien C. P. Psychiatric treatment for geriatric patients: "pub" or drug? Am J Psychiatry. 1971 Feb;127(8):1070–1075. doi: 10.1176/ajp.127.8.1070. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chien C. P., Stotsky B. A., Cole J. O. Psychiatric treatment for nursing home patients: drug, alcohol, and milieu. Am J Psychiatry. 1973 May;130(5):543–548. doi: 10.1176/ajp.130.5.543. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LIEBERMAN M. A. PSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF IMPENDING DEATH: SOME PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. J Gerontol. 1965 Apr;20:181–190. doi: 10.1093/geronj/20.2.181. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lawton M. P., Yaffe S. Mortality, morbidity and voluntary change of residence by older people. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1970 Oct;18(10):823–831. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1970.tb02834.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Levey S., Ruchlin H. S., Stotsky B. A., Kinloch D. R., Oppenheim W. An appraisal of nursing home care. J Gerontol. 1973 Apr;28(2):222–228. doi: 10.1093/geronj/28.2.222. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Linn B. S., Linn M. W., Gurel L. Cumulative illness rating scale. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1968 May;16(5):622–626. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1968.tb02103.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Linn M. W. A nursing home rating scale. Geriatrics. 1966 Oct;21(10):188–192. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Linn M. W. A rapid disability rating scale. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1967 Feb;15(2):211–214. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1967.tb00721.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Linn M. W., Gurel L. Wives' attitudes toward nursing homes. J Gerontol. 1969 Jul;24(3):368–372. doi: 10.1093/geronj/24.3.368. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Linn M. W., Linn S. B. Narrowing the gap between medical and mental health evaluation. Med Care. 1975 Jul;13(7):607–614. doi: 10.1097/00005650-197507000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Linn M. W. Predicting quality of patient care in nursing homes. Gerontologist. 1974 Jun;14(3):225–227. doi: 10.1093/geront/14.3.225. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shapiro S. End result measurements of quality of medical care. Milbank Mem Fund Q. 1967 Apr;45(2):7–30. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Shortridge M. H. Quality of medical care in an outpatient setting. Med Care. 1974 Apr;12(4):283–300. doi: 10.1097/00005650-197404000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES