The Role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Nursing Home Care

Nursing home administrators understand the importance of assessing, improving, and implementing quality care for older adults in long-term facilities. Findings by researchers from the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri suggest that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) can play a key role in improving care in nursing homes by serving as leaders of health care teams.

With specialized training and certification, APRNs are garnering success by guiding healthcare teams to better manage nursing home residents, thus improving outcomes. These include fewer incidents of:

Falls leading to major injury.

Patients diagnoses of urinary tract infections.

Catheters being left in too long.

New or worsening pressure ulcers.

Significant weight loss.

Patients being physically restrained for their own protection/protection of others.

Assistance with daily living or physical activities.

Need for antipsychotic medication.

This reflects significant improvement in the quality of life of nursing home residents.

Due to the growth of an aging population, the projected increase in demand for nursing homes is expected to rise by 40% in the next decade. There will be a commensurate increase in the requirement for skilled nurses in these facilities.

Admin Jul 25, 2018