Why do nursing homes close? An analysis of newspaper articles

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Sociology of Health
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Nursing home closures present a complex challenge in healthcare.
• Existing research often relies on quantitative data from regulatory databases.
• These databases have limitations in capturing the full scope of closure reasons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the phenomenon of nursing home closure using a novel data source.
• To supplement existing knowledge derived from large regulatory databases.
• To provide a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to nursing home closures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Non-numerical Unstructured Data Indexing Searching and Theorizing (NUD'IST) software for keyword extraction.
• Analyzed 30 major-market newspaper articles over a 66-month period (January 1999 - June 2005).
• Examined newspaper content representing staff impressions, managerial perspectives, and financial record reviews.

Main Results:

• Newspaper articles provide rich qualitative insights into nursing home closures.
• This approach complements data from regulatory databases like Online Survey Certification And Reporting (OSCAR) and Area Resource Files (ARF).
• Identified key themes and factors contributing to nursing home closures through textual analysis.

Conclusions:

• Newspaper article analysis offers a valuable, complementary method for studying nursing home closures.
• Qualitative data from media sources can enhance understanding beyond quantitative database limitations.
• Further research can leverage textual analysis for nuanced insights into healthcare facility dynamics.