Management and quality indicators in nursing homes. A bibliographic review
Rafael Montoya Juárez, Paloma Calero Martín de Villodres

SUMMARY

   In nursing home development, quality indicators play a very important role. There is no agreed pattern that relates management techniques/methods with many indicators. We have done a review under Nursing Evidence Based focus. We searched for all originals and reviews between 2000 and October of 2003, in Spanish an English databases, about management methods and techniques and quality indicators. After applying exclusion criteria and inverse searching, we found 27 original papers and 5 reviews. There are not many original articles and reviews that talk about indicators. Most of the articles propose management methods and techniques, but not measures its efficiency through quality indicators. In the U.S.A., indicators are more highly developed, but it doesn’t exist agreement on measuring, evaluating and comparing quality in different nursing homes. Nowadays, research is focused on the development of human and material resources management, and the development of records and protocols. As regards
quality indicators, the most outstanding ones are the falls and immobility complications (as decubitus ulcers). Scientific evidence shows us that actually there are not enough bibliographic data to incorporate management methods and techniques to clinical practice.

KEY WORDS

   Management, indicators, quality, nursing homes.

Vol. 15 nº3-2004