A Conceptual Framework for Achieving High-Quality Care in Nursing Homes

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Abstract
Nursing home care accounts for 12% of healthcare expenditures in the United States, yet serious concerns remain about the quality of care provided in these settings. This article describes a comprehensive systems model that views organizational environments as consisting of four interacting dimensions: organizing arrangements, social factors, technology, and physical setting. This model is then used as a conceptual framework (vis-à-vis an extensive literature review) to identify factors that contribute to poor-quality care in nursing homes and to highlight previous research efforts. The literature review also provides a useful framework to guide nursing home administrators and healthcare quality professionals in their implementation of quality improvement processes and serves to help direct future research in this very important arena.