title: Quality Improvement in Skilled Nursing Facilities for Residents With Alzheimer's Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This report describes a quality improvement continuing medical education activity designed to enhance the recognition and treatment of residents with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other dementias in skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Charts were compared in 6 areas prior to and following (stages A and C) a live, faculty-led workshop (stage B). Four SNFs completed stages A (n = 67 residents) and B, and 3 SNFs completed stage C (n = 52 residents). All charts came from residents with AD or a diagnosis of dementia or dementia-like symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SNFs had >95% baseline performance in both the frequency of cognitive assessments and documented medication reviews. The percentage of residents who received a quality-of-life assessment and those who had a mental health care plan in place represent areas for improvement. As part of this activity, a toolkit was developed to help guide facilities and clinicians in instituting care improvements for residents with AD/dementia.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA mfarlow@iupui.edu.
authors.forename: Martin R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Farlow
authors.affiliation: University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Soo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borson
authors.affiliation: Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.affiliation: St Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: George T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Grossberg
authors.affiliation: New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Mary S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mittelman
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; dementia; nursing homes; quality improvement CME