Statistical quality control in nursing homes: a key indicator to evaluate patient incontinence care

The authors provide descriptive data regarding incontinence care within the framework of statistical quality control technology. Descriptive data of patient wetness frequencies were collected for 126 incontinent patients from six nursing homes in Middle Tennessee under conditions guaranteeing that they were checked and changed on a two-hour basis. One hundred inspection subsamples were randomly selected for five incontinent-patient sample sizes: 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 patients. The average and expected variability of patient wetness frequency was calculated for each of these subsamples. These measures help nursing homes determine if they are in compliance with state and federal regulations regarding the timeliness of incontinence care. The authors suggest how nursing home management and regulatory agencies can use statistical quality control techniques.