JAMDA
Volume 8, Issue 2 , Pages 110-114, February 2007

Nutrition and Involuntary Weight Loss: A Pilot Study of an Educational Intervention for Nursing Home Surveyors

Portions of this work have been presented at meetings of the American Geriatrics Society, May 2004, and the Gerontological Society of America, November 2005.

  • Joan C. Chang, DO

      Affiliations

    • The Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine & Gerontology, Baltimore, MD
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to Joan C. Chang, DO, Good Samaritan Hospital, Division of Geriatric Medicine, 5601 Loch Raven Boulevard, Suite 511, Baltimore, MD 21239-2995.
    • ,
  • Thomas E. Finucane, MD

      Affiliations

    • The Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine & Gerontology, Baltimore, MD
    • ,
  • Colleen Christmas, MD

      Affiliations

    • The Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine & Gerontology, Baltimore, MD
    • ,
  • William Vaughan, RN, BSN

      Affiliations

    • State of Maryland Office of Health Care Quality, Catonsville, MD
    • ,
  • Jack Schwartz, JD

      Affiliations

    • Maryland Attorney General’s Office, Baltimore, MD.
    • ,
  • Bruce Leff, MD

      Affiliations

    • The Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine & Gerontology, Baltimore, MD
    • The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD

published online 16 December 2006.

Objective

To describe the knowledge and attitudes of nursing home (NH) surveyors before and after a brief educational intervention related to nutrition and involuntary weight loss in nursing home residents.

Design

A questionnaire covering knowledge and attitudes about nutrition was given 1 month before and 6 months after a targeted educational intervention.

Participants and Setting

State of Maryland nursing home surveyors

Measurements

A 24-item questionnaire of NH surveyor knowledge (11 items) and attitudes (13 items) regarding issues related to nutrition and involuntary weight loss in NH residents.

Results

Overall surveyors’ knowledge scores increased from 68% (SD, 17%) pre-intervention to 76% (SD, 18%) post-intervention (P = .11). Knowledge related to the lack of the effect of tube feeding on survival in NH residents with end-stage dementia was the only knowledge item that improved significantly with the intervention (39% correct pre-intervention and 68% correct post-intervention, P = .04). There were no changes in attitudes toward the diagnosis or treatment of nutrition after the intervention.

Conclusion

Overall, NH surveyor knowledge related to nutrition and involuntary weight loss varied widely across topic areas. Neither knowledge nor attitudes were substantially affected by a brief educational intervention. Development of effective educational interventions for NH surveyors should be a priority for stakeholders in NH care.

Keywords: Nursing home, surveyors, nutrition, involuntary weight loss

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 This study was supported by a grant from the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging, Salt Lake City, UT.

PII: S1525-8610(06)00485-3

doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2006.09.010

JAMDA
Volume 8, Issue 2 , Pages 110-114, February 2007

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