Q&A: A resident discharged to the hospital, return anticipated, but went to a sister facility from the hospital for a few days because we did not have a bed available. Now that he is returning, is a new OBRA Admission assessment required?

Question: We have a resident who discharged to the hospital (completed an OBRA DC Return-Anticipated). When he was ready to be discharged from the hospital, we did not have a bed available, so he discharged to a sister facility for a few days. We now have a bed available, and …

TIP: New Resource to Improve Healthcare Safety

Lucian Leap just released a new book called Making Healthcare Safe. This free, downloadable book discusses ways a skilled nursing facility can implement a culture of safety by changing processes, working conditions, and communication in order to make the facility as safe as possible for both residents and staff. For …

Morning Stand-Up Meeting Minutes Tool

Morning stand-up is meant to be a brief meeting (15 minutes or less) to exchange information that affects the operations of multiple departments on that given day. The information exchanged should be shared with the intent of facilitating connection among all departments and coordinating operations. Facility leaders can utilize this …

Q&A: Where can I find resources to help our facility prevent and manage sepsis?

Question: Where can I find resources to help our facility prevent and manage sepsis? Answer: TMF, a Quality Improvement Organization, offers a free toolkit called the Sepsis Post-Acute Care Training Toolkit for Nursing Homes. This toolkit educates nursing home staff, residents, and families about the early identification of sepsis in …

Book: Making Healthcare Safe (10/21)

Electronic access (PDF) to this book is free with IHI membership (also free). ​​​​​​​Leape LL. Making Healthcare Safe. Springer; 2021. Written by Lucian ​Leape, a pioneer of t​he patient safety movement, this book describes how patient safety became recognized as an important problem, the underlying science, and the efforts to implement changes. The …

Study: Short-term and Long-term Rates of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (10/21)

Findings  In this systematic review of 57 studies comprising more than 250 000 survivors of COVID-19, most sequelae included mental health, pulmonary, and neurologic disorders, which were prevalent longer than 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 exposure. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2128568. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.28568 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2784918

Addressing Healthcare-Associated Infections in the Nursing Home with Laurie Laxton

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, vice president of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, and Laurie Laxton, RN, BSN, CCFA, RAC-CT, IP-BC, QCP, clinical education program lead with ABILITY Network, discuss healthcare associated infections (HAIs) in the nursing home and thoughts on how to …

How the NAC and DNS Can Work Together to Ease the Strain of the Staffing Shortage in Long-Term Care

The widespread staffing crisis in nursing homes across long-term care has put a strain on everyone, from leadership positions to the floor nurse. Staff are working overtime, covering extra shifts, and are often being called to work outside of their assigned roles. They are experiencing stress, burnout, and even considering …

Drug Diversion with Lisa Morris

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, vice president of education and certification strategy for AAPACN speaks with Lisa Morris, RPh, BCGP, FASCP, executive director of clinical services for Consana, about drug diversion in the nursing home including how to investigate, and what nurse leaders can …