Nursing home deficiency citations for infection control

Castle, Nicholas G.; Wagner, Laura M.; Ferguson-Rome, Jamie C.; Men, Aiju; Handler, Steven M.

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2010.12.010

« Previous Next »AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control
Volume 39, Issue 4 , Pages 263-269, May 2011

Nursing home deficiency citations for infection control

Nicholas G. Castle, PhD
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Address correspondence to Nicholas G. Castle, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy Management, A610 Crabtree Hall, 130 DeSoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.
Laura M. Wagner, PhD, RN
- New York University College of Nursing, New York, NY
Jamie C. Ferguson-Rome, MHA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Aiju Men, MS
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Steven M. Handler, MD, MS, CMD
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- LTC Health Information Technology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Senior Communities Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA

Background

This study examined the deficiency citation for infection control (ie, F-Tag 441). This information represents potential problems in infection control as identified in the yearly certification process of almost all US nursing homes.

Methods

The data used came primarily from the Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting data base, which contains information on both deficiency citations and characteristics of nursing homes. The data for each nursing home from 2000 through 2007 were combined, providing a panel of 100,000 observations. Multivariate analyses and generalized estimating equations with a logit link were used.

Results

An average of 15% of all nursing homes received a deficiency citation for infection control each year from 2000 to 2007. In the multivariate analyses, several staffing levels were robust in their significance. For all 3 types of caregiver examined (ie, nurse aides, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Registered Nurses), low staffing levels were associated with receipt of a deficiency citation for infection control.

Conclusion

The high number of deficiency citations for infection control problems identified in this study suggests the need for increased emphasis on these programs in nursing homes to protect vulnerable elders.

Key Words: Long-term care, regulations, staffing