Identifying Quality Indicators for Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Modified Delphi Method

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Quality
• Dementia Care

Background:

• Nursing home residents with dementia require specialized quality indicators.
• Existing quality measures may not fully capture the nuances of dementia care.

Approach:

• A modified Delphi panel of dementia care experts was convened.
• A two-round survey assessed 12 potential quality indicators on importance, usefulness, and feasibility.
• Consensus was defined as ≥70% agreement within a three-point range of the median rating.

Key Points:

• Only two of the 12 proposed quality indicators achieved consensus across all three domains (importance, usefulness, feasibility).
• These two indicators relate to the prescription of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines for long-stay residents with dementia.
• Several indicators, including antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use, showed high importance but did not meet all consensus criteria.

Conclusions:

• Expert consensus was reached on only two quality indicators for nursing home dementia care.
• Challenges persist in developing quality indicators that comprehensively reflect high-quality dementia care in nursing homes.