The Quality of Interactions Between Staff and Residents With Cognitive Impairment in Nursing Homes

Abstract

Background: Positive and effective staff–resident interactions are imperative to adequately assess and meet the needs of cognitively impaired residents in nursing homes and optimize their quality of life. Aim: The purpose of this study was to quantify, describe, and analyze the interaction between staff and cognitively impaired residents in nursing homes, using the Quality of Interaction Schedule (QuIS). Method: This descriptive analysis utilized baseline data from the first 2 cohorts in a randomized clinical trial including 341 residents from 35 nursing homes. Results: Five hundred fifty-six staff–resident interactions were evaluated; majority were positive (n = 466, 83.8%) and the remaining were either neutral (n = 60, 10.8%) or negative (n = 30, 5.4%). The quality of interactions varied by interaction location, interpersonal distance, and resident participation. Conclusion: Future research should focus on decreasing the negative/neutral interactions and explore staff characteristics (eg, gender, level of experience) and facility factors (eg, size, ownership) that might influence the quality of interactions.