Accreditation and Resident Safety in Ontario Long-Term Care Homes

To determine if accreditation is associated with better resident safety processes and outcomes in 587 Ontario long-term care (LTC) homes. A second area of interest is whether LTC home characteristics influence pursuit of accreditation.

Out of five safety areas examined, accreditation was only associated with a lower occurrence of falls. Three of four organizational characteristics examined (facility ownership, chain membership and location) were predictors of facility accreditation.

To prevent inequalities in organizations' ability to pursue accreditation, policymakers may need to consider new initiatives that reduce barriers for LTC homes that lack sufficient resources.