Assessing a Statewide Nursing Home Staffing Program through Quantitative and Qualitative Survey Data.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Home Administration
• Staffing Solutions

Background:

• Nursing home staffing challenges are a persistent issue impacting care quality.
• Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) are increasingly utilized to alleviate staffing shortages.
• Understanding administrator perceptions is crucial for successful program implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate nursing home administrators' perceptions of a Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program.
• To identify factors influencing the perceived success or failure of PCA programs.
• To explore the relationship between administrative approaches and program outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A convergent mixed methods design was employed, collecting quantitative and qualitative data concurrently.
• Surveys assessed administrator use and perceptions of PCAs, with data analyzed via logistic regression.
• Deductive thematic analysis of open-ended responses was combined with quantitative findings.

Main Results:

• Increased PCA utilization was linked to a higher likelihood of perceiving the program as beneficial (OR=1.06, P=.049).
• Qualitative themes included program benefits, barriers, and improvement strategies.
• Administrator proactivity emerged as a key factor associated with positive program assessment.

Conclusions:

• The success of PCA programs in addressing staffing needs may be tied to proactive administrative leadership.
• Passive approaches correlated with negative program assessments, highlighting leadership style differences.
• Findings suggest leadership training could enhance the implementation of staffing initiatives in nursing homes.