Communication in the Nursing Home

描述(由申请人提供)：先前的描述性研究已经考察了家庭参与养老院长期护理的情况，一些护理和心理社会干预措施试图促进家庭参与和疗养院居民的社会融合。然而，这些干预措施的强度和潜在的侵入性可能会使它们难以作为养老院的常规护理进行管理。新的、易于使用的通信技术可能会改善长期护理中居民的社会融合。这项研究将在疗养院试点环境(明尼苏达州诺斯菲尔德的ThreeLinks护理中心)部署一个新的通信技术平台--数字邮箱系统，并将评估其对10名居民、他们的家人和护理人员之间沟通的影响。这一阶段SBIR的主要目标是确定在养老院环境中实施基于数字邮箱技术的“CaringFamily Connections”计划的障碍和促进者。初步的纵向描述性数据还将检查在使用CaringFamily的过程中是否发生了以下变量的变化：(1)护理人员、居民和家庭成员之间的沟通和关系感知，(2)家庭参与，以及(3)护理人员对居民的了解增加。除了提供在养老院实施CaringFamily Connections计划的初始过程和描述性数据外，这项研究还将解决国家护理研究所的一个战略利益：提高寄宿长期护理中老年人的护理质量。公共卫生相关性：这项初步研究旨在明尼苏达州诺斯菲尔德的一家疗养院部署一项基于新数字邮箱技术的通信服务(“CaringFamily Connections”计划)。除了研究居民、家庭成员和护理人员使用CaringFamily Connections计划的障碍和促进者外，我们还计划收集有关家庭参与、居民-家庭-员工关系和沟通以及工作人员在使用这项服务期间知识变化的初步数据。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Prior descriptive research has examined family involvement in residential long-term care, and a handful of nursing and psychosocial interventions have attempted to facilitate family involvement and residents' social integration in nursing homes. However, the intensity and potential intrusiveness of these interventions may make them difficult to administer as routine care in nursing homes. New, easy-to-use communication technology may improve the social integration of residents in long-term care. This study will deploy a new communication technology platform, the Digital Mailbox system, in a pilot nursing home setting (ThreeLinks Care Center in Northfield, Minnesota) and will assess its impact on communication among 10 residents, their family members, and care staff. The main objective of this Phase I SBIR is to ascertain the barriers and facilitators to implementation the "CaringFamily Connections" program, based on Digital Mailbox technology, in the nursing home setting. Preliminary, longitudinal descriptive data will also examine whether changes occur during the utilization of CaringFamily for the following variables: (1) communication and perceptions of relationships between care staff, residents, and family members, (2) family involvement, and (3) increased knowledge of residents by care staff. In addition to providing initial process and descriptive data on the implementation of the CaringFamily Connections program in a nursing home, this study will address a strategic interest of the National Institute for Nursing Research: improving the quality of caregiving for older adults in residential long-term care. Public Health Relevance: This pilot study aims to deploy a communication service based on new Digital Mailbox technology (the "CaringFamily Connections" program) in a nursing home in Northfield, Minnesota. In addition to examining the barriers and facilitators to use of the CaringFamily Connections program for residents, family members, and care staff, we also plan to collect preliminary data on how family involvement, resident-family-staff relationships and communication, and staff knowledge change during the use of this service.