[Feasibility and reliability of quality indicators for long-term care hospitals: The VENUS study]

We have developed a quality indicator for long-term care (LTC) that can be applied across various care settings, advancing the "Visualizing Effectiveness of Nursing & Long-term Care (VENUS) indicators." This study assessed the feasibility and reliability of the VENUS indicators in LTC hospitals and revised the evaluation forms and guides based on these findings.

This study included 24 nurses and 12 care workers employed in two LTC hospitals in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Each group, consisting of two nurses and one care worker, was asked to evaluate VENUS indicators for the same patient. The missing data rate and inter-rater reliability between the two nurses and between the nurses and care workers were calculated. Interviews were conducted to gather feedback on the use of VENUS indicators, followed by revisions to the evaluation forms and guides. The revised forms were re-evaluated, and opinions on re-evaluation were collected.

The average missing data rate for evaluations was 20.0%, with particularly high missing rates for the following indicators: "Poor family wellbeing," "Neglecting the client's desired way of life," "Lack of social interaction," and "Social isolation." On the other hand, the inter-rater reliability was high, with an average of 89.4% between nurses and 92.0% between nurses and care workers. After the revision of the evaluation forms and guides, it was reported that the criteria for evaluating patients with communication difficulties and their families were clarified, making it easier for them to evaluate.

In LTC hospitals, the VENUS indicators showed high overall feasibility and reliability, although there were challenges in the feasibility of some items. The revision of the evaluation forms and guides allowed for clearer criteria based on which patients' conditions could be assessed. This research has the potential to contribute to maintaining consistency in quality evaluation across various LTC settings and to improve the quality of LTC.