Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
12-2-2025
First Advisor
Sandy King
Second Advisor
Jacquie Sands
Abstract
Hospitalizations in the long-term care setting can lead to higher costs incurred by skilled nursing home residents and a poorer quality of life. This quality improvement (QI) project evaluated whether an educational intervention on the Reducing Avoidable Facility Transfers (RAFT) model impacted hospitalization rates in the skilled nursing facility (SNF), while also assessing the confidence level of facility staff on the intervention. The project utilized Lewin’s change theory and the Donabedian model framework and was aimed at developing interventions that impact hospitalizations in the SNF using the RAFT model. A quasi-experimental design was used and consisted of a pre-and-post implementation model that involved participation from long-term care staff. After an educational session, confidence levels and hospitalization rates were measured using retrospective chart review and analysis of the confidence scale (C-scale), pre- and post-implementation. The results from this QI project were not significant and showed an increase from pre-test (M = 18.18, SD = 9.82) to post-test (M = 22.27, SD = 3.32), p = 0.142, proving that the results of the pre- and post-C-scale data did not differ. Hospitalization rates in the pre- and post-implementation period were n=13 and n=11, respectively, which did not show a statistical difference. The project was able to show that over the intervention period, there were two less hospitalizations, which although not statistically significant, is an improvement. Decreased hospitalizations would be a benefit in this population by improving quality of care for patients, while showing positive changes in facility return to admission rates.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Nzeocha, Nenna, "Quality Improvement Project: Reducing Hospitalizations in the Long-Term Care Setting" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 266.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/266
