The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has consistently warned of the dangers of using pharmaceuticals for off-label purposes. Using a drug for off-label purposes means using it for purposes for which it has not specifically been approved by the FDA. Unfortunately, however, off-label use of drugs still accounts for 80%…
Nursing homes and hospitals around the world have long operated on experience-based pay scales. Only recently, however, have various hospitals begun adopting performance-based payroll systems to improve the quality of care. The results are especially crucial for American health providers, who will move towards pay for performance in 2013 when…
The Care Quality Commission recently published a report called “The state of health care and adult social care in England” that reveals problems that are universal to long-term care facilities. The report concluded that three factors can be linked to low quality of care in nursing homes: a culture where…
A recent article published in the Journal of American Medical Directors Association titled “Antipsychotics and Dementia: A Time for Restraint?” reports on the usage of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes. It is true, indeed, that antipsychotic medications have in many ways improved quality of care for those with illnesses such…
A new study that was published in the May 2012 edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society was the first national study to assess fall rates among newly-admitted nursing home residents. Researchers for the study, which was spearheaded by University of Southern California gerontology and occupational science researcher…
Milta O. Little’s article, “Climbing Out of the Black Hole of Subacute Care”, explores the existence of a medical information gap that is aptly comparable to a black hole in outer space: once a patient is moved out of a hospital and into a subacute care facility, their medical profile…
The neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia (NPS), which are characterized by psychological and behavioral problems, have a rather large presence within nursing homes as about 60% of the elderly individuals living in long term care have been diagnosed with dementia. The majority of the individuals of this group will go on…
Elder abuse and neglect within America is very common in nursing facilities, but is a largely ignored issue. However, a new online tool has recently been introduced that promises to change the way elder patient safety and abuse is monitored and understood. Created by ProPublica, Nursing Home Inspect now allows…
It has been estimated that with the “baby boom” generation now approaching retirement age, nearly 25% of the elderly population aged 65 years or older will spend part of their life residing within a nursing home. While the elderly should both expect and receive excellent, loving care at a facility…
Falls occur very frequently within nursing homes and usually result in bone fractures, broken hips, or head injuries. These injuries often require hospitalization and can be prevented with proper attention and supervision, along with a decrease of environmental hazards within nursing homes that contribute to the problem. The Centers for…