Developing an effective teaching nursing home: the planning process

The Teaching Nursing Home (TNH) represents one of the major approaches to improve the quality of long-term care services to evolve over the past decade. The authors present their interdisciplinary approach to seeking TNH affiliations from area nursing homes through the use of a request for proposal (RFP) process. The components of this process, including identification of benefits to both the nursing home and the university; development of strong collaborative relationships; establishment of methods of shared decision-making about program and service mix, research protocols, and selection of key staff; joint appointments of personnel; and evaluation of potential TNH partners are discussed.