The Validity of Connecting Conversations: A Narrative Method to Assess Experienced Quality of Care in Nursing Homes from the Resident's Perspective.

Katya Sion,Gaby Odekerken-Schröder,Sil Aarts,Hilde Verbeek,Jan Hamers,Sandra Zwakhalen,Jos Schols

doi:10.3390/ijerph17145100

Abstract

It is important to assess experienced quality of care in nursing homes, as this portrays what is important to residents and helps identify what quality improvements should focus on. Connecting Conversations is a narrative method that assesses experienced quality of care from the resident’s perspective in nursing homes by having separate conversations with residents, family, and professional caregivers (triads) within a learning network. This study assessed the validity of performing the narrative method, Connecting Conversations. Trained nursing home staff (interviewers) performed the conversations in another nursing home than where they were employed. In total, 149 conversations were performed in 10 nursing homes. Findings show that experts deemed the narrative assessment method appropriate and complete to assess experienced quality of care (face validity). The questions asked appeared to capture the full construct of experienced quality of care (content validity). Additionally, there was a range in how positive conversations were and first results indicated that a nursing home scoring higher on satisfaction had more positive conversations (construct validity). More data are needed to perform additional construct validity analyses. In conclusion, Connecting Conversations shows promising results for its use as a valid narrative method to assess experienced quality of care.

Highlights

Worldwide, there is an increase in older people and, an increasing demand for long-term care services, such as nursing home care [1,2]
This study aimed to evaluate the validity of performing the narrative method, Connecting Conversations
The current study introduced a different approach than trustworthiness to evaluate the validity of a narrative method that assesses quality of care with face, content, and construct validity measures

Summary

Introduction

There is an increase in older people and, an increasing demand for long-term care services, such as nursing home care [1,2]. Nursing homes are a type of long-term care service with 24–hour care and functional support for the most vulnerable people in our society with complex health needs [3]. The Institute of Medicine defined six domains to help define and assess quality of care: safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, patient-centeredness, and equitability [4]. It is challenging to assess quality of care, as providing care is a service that is characterized by its intangible, heterogeneous, multifaceted, perishable, and interactive characteristics [5,6]. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 5100; doi:10.3390/ijerph17145100 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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