How Stories Can Contribute Toward Quality Improvement in Long-Term Care

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Improving nursing home quality of care necessitates understanding the experiences of residents, their families, and professional caregivers.
• Narrative methods are increasingly recognized in the Netherlands for their potential to enrich the quality improvement cycle in nursing homes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the importance, value, and challenges of utilizing narrative methods in nursing home quality improvement.
• To reflect on the practical application and integration of narrative data within nursing home settings.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative reflection and discussion among five Dutch research institutes.
• Analysis of the role and impact of narrative methods in nursing home quality improvement.

Main Results:

• Narratives provide a rich understanding of experienced quality of care, enabling reflection and learning.
• Narrative methods facilitate the sharing of experiences and identification of care provision dilemmas.
• Challenges include effective guidance for learning from narrative data, organizational integration, and national recognition for accountability.

Conclusions:

• Narrative methods hold significant value for enhancing nursing home quality of care by centering resident and caregiver experiences.
• Successful implementation requires addressing practical challenges related to data utilization, organizational embedding, and policy recognition.