Staff Experiences in Managing Incidents in Nursing Homes: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: Adverse incidents in nursing home (NH) may occur as the result of inadequate monitoring for signs of unobservable initial complications, medical errors, improper nursing interventions, lack of communication, and inadequate reporting. Purpose: This study explores incident types, causes, handling, and documentation in Indonesian NHs through a qualitative approach. Patients and Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 NH staff members, including managers, nurses, and support staff. Results: Five themes and 17 sub-themes emerged, with falls and resident-to-resident abuse as common adverse incidents. Causes included older adults’ conditions, environment, and misunderstanding. Follow-up action included first aid, hospital referrals, and assertive communication. Adverse incidents were actively reported through verbal and written reports or WhatsApp groups. Reports and documentation remain unstructured, however, as there were no standard operating procedures regarding incident reporting, documentation, and the types of adverse incidents that staff should report. Conclusion: Improvements in management, documentation, and reporting adverse incidents are highlighted in this research. Practitioners, nurses, and social workers should develop guidelines for handling, reporting, and documenting adverse incidents in NHs.