Quality of Life, Person-Centred Care and Lived Experiences of Nursing Home Residents in a Developed Urban Asian Country: A Cross-Sectional Study

​Background
Literature emphasises the benefits of person-centred approaches in nursing homes. Objectives: To describe the quality of life, well/ill being and person-centred care of residents, and explore relationship between person-centred care and well/ill being in 7 nursing homes. 

Design
A cross-sectional study.

Setting

Seven nursing homes of different built period and design typologies in Singapore. 

Participants

696 nursing home residents. 

Measurements

Measures used were EQ-5D for quality of life, Dementia Care Mapping for well/ill being, Resident Satisfaction Score and Person-Directed Dementia Care Assessment Tool as measure of person-centred care. 

Results
Mean EQ-5D-5L index was 0.096 (SD=0.45). Most residents had at least moderate problems in mobility (66.5%), self-care (63.6%) and usual activities (63.0%). Mean well/ill being score was 1.69 (SD=0.98). A state of neutrality (WIB=+1) (48%) was most observed, followed by well-being (WIB>+1) (29%) and ill-being (WIB<+1) (6%). High positive potential behaviors were recorded 37% of the time, while low/no positive potential behaviors amount to 39%. The overall resident satisfaction score was 3.43/5 with borderline satisfaction with environment, food and activities, and low satisfaction with lifestyle and quality of interaction. The overall level of person-centred care was modest 2.3/4. Activities scored highest while the weakest domain was Environment. The overall level of person-centred care was positively correlated with resident well/ill being score (F=4.43, p<0.001).

Conclusions
A higher level of person-centred care is associated with better resident well-being. Beyond their physical and custodial needs, the residents’ psychosocial needs can be better fulfilled. The areas of person-centred care amenable to improvement relate to environment, staff knowledge and training. These findings can inform resident care planning, policy development, and future research to support nursing homes in their endeavour to move towards more holistic and person-centric care. 

SOURCE:
Jour Nursing Home Res

DOI:
https://dx.doi.org/10.14283/jnhrs.2021.1

AUTHOR(S):
Tew CW, Ong SP, Yap PLK, Lim AYC, Luo N, Koh GCH, Ng TP, Wee SL