Researchers from the University of Colorado College of Nursing and CU School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus were awarded a $1.35 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to design and implement technologies that improve resident safety and employee wellbeing at long-term care facilities. "Long-term care facilities in the United States are in crisis, they're facing low resources and high staff turnover," CU Nursing Associate Professor and CU School of Medicine Faculty Member Mustafa Ozkaynak, PhD, says.
"With high turnover, all the training investments for employees are gone if that employee leaves. Then, those trainings become very limited, which is a problem. So resident outcomes and staff outcomes are intertwined.
" The research team, led by Ozkaynak, will create and pilot decision support technologies tailored for long-term care facilities. These digital tools, such as alerts and predictions, provide timely patient and condition information that help providers make informed care decisions. The technologies increase patient safety and decrease staff burnout in hospitals and primary care settings.
There is limited research on how these tools could address the unique challenges facing long-term care facilities. "Poor quality of care and safety in long-term care facilities -; particularly for persons living with dementia -; leads to preventable falls, emergency visits, hospitalizations, injuries, and even increased mortality. It was m.