Assisted Living: INTERACT Limits Hospitalizations; ED Transfers of Residents with Dementia

March 11, 2016 | Aging Services Risk Management

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​A group of 46 assisted-living facilities were able to reduce hospital admissions by 17% in a pilot project using the INTERACT suite of interventions, according to a February 23, 2016, press release. The pilot, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, involved training staff in important communication techniques, especially the SBAR technique ("situation, background, assessment, and recommendations"). The training was also applied in skilled nursing facilities, where it led to 16% reductions in hospital admissions and 13% reductions in costs of care. In the press release, the pilot's codirector emphasized the importance of including all staff in the training, "from bus drivers to wait staff to caregivers because they all work with our residents every day." He added, "Our associates often know when something is not right with a resident, so their observations are important. We are not asking them to determine the reason for the change in condition, but we are asking them to report what they are observing, so that a clinical evaluation can be done by a nurse or physician."

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