Evaluating the staffing methodology model in the veterans health administration's community living centers

Lana M Brown; Shelly Y Lensing; Sheila Cox Sullivan; Teresa L Odom; Jade T Moore; Pamela Billings; Lisa Minor

doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2022.04.007

Evaluating the staffing methodology model in the veterans health administration's community living centers

Geriatr Nurs. 2022 May-Jun:45:188-192. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2022.04.007. Epub 2022 May 2.

Authors

Lana M Brown¹, Shelly Y Lensing², Sheila Cox Sullivan³, Teresa L Odom³, Jade T Moore³, Pamela Billings⁴, Lisa Minor⁵

Affiliations

¹ Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, VISN 16/Geriatric Research Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), Little Rock, AR, USA; College of Nursing; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA. Electronic address: Lana.Brown2@va.gov.
² Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, VISN 16/Geriatric Research Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), Little Rock, AR, USA; Department of Biostatistics; College of Medicine; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
³ Office of Nursing Services, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC, USA.
⁴ MidSouth Veterans Healthcare Network, VISN 9, Nashville, TN, USA.
⁵ Geriatrics and Extended Care, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC, USA.

PMID: 35512508
DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2022.04.007

Abstract

Purpose: Program evaluation to describe nursing hours per patient day (NHPPD) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and to evaluate Staffing Methodology in the VHA Community Living Centers (CLCs).

Methods: Targeted and actual NHPPD were compiled retrospectively for each VHA CLC unit over a one-year timeframe for calendar year 2019. For descriptive analyses, actual NHPPD were averaged across months for each CLC unit.

Results: The mean for actual hours as a percent of target was 121.6% (95% CI, 118.5 to 124.7%) indicating the units' average hours across 2019 were 21.6% significantly higher than target. The actual NHPPD significantly differed across months (p<0.001) with the 2019 months of January and October having the highest NHPPD.

Conclusions: Veteran safety is a VHA priority and appropriate nurse staffing is key to providing care that improves Veteran outcomes. Further exploration is needed on the impact of nurse staffing on Veteran outcomes, safety, and satisfaction.

Keywords: Community living centers; Long-term care; Staffing.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Humans
Personnel Staffing and Scheduling
Program Evaluation
Retrospective Studies
United States
Veterans Health*
Veterans*
Workforce