Child Development

FPG Voices
FPG Voices highlights the latest studies on early child development by the FPG Child Development Institute (FPG) at UNC-Chapel Hill. listen
eggnog

TOP STORY

Five tips for surviving the holidays


Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz, an expert in anxiety disorders and professor of psychiatry and psychology at Carolina, offers five tips for coping with holiday-related stress.

“We don’t have to like the holidays, and they might not be stress free, but going into them thinking, ‘This is temporary, I can get through this,’ instead of “Oh, God, this is going to be awful,’ prepares you to get through them,” Abramowitz says. read more
etta pisano

An expert on new digital mammography techniques that can be used to possibly save more women from breast cancer,  Etta Pisano, M.D. directs UNC-Chapel Hill's breast imaging lab and is conversant on the latest treatment strategies. Find more experts

Home arrow Health & Medicine arrow UNC study: Nursing home interventions improve quality of care, reduce staff turnover
UNC study: Nursing home interventions improve quality of care, reduce staff turnover E-mail
Wednesday, July 22, 2009

 A study recently released by the UNC Institute on Aging has identified three workplace interventions that are improving quality of care and reducing staff turnover in North Carolina’s nursing homes. 

Previous research has shown that high levels of turnover and worker shortages may compromise both the availability of frontline workers and the quality of care, potentially putting nursing home residents at risk.

The study, conducted in North Carolina nursing homes between 2004 and 2007, examined the impact of three programs funded by civil monetary penalties – funds collected from nursing homes for deficiencies in care. 

  • The WIN A STEP UP program, which upgrades  nursing assistants’ skills, increases their job commitment, and provides rewards and recognition;
  • Quality Improvement Collaboratives, in which groups of nursing homes work together with the statewide Quality Improvement Organization to improve specific quality indicators such as reducing pressure sores or the use of restraints;
  • Culture Change Initiatives, in which nursing homes  change their structures or routines to make their environments more “homelike.”

The report was commissioned by the NC Department of Health and Human Services and authored by Thomas R. Konrad, Ph.D., Jennifer Craft Morgan, Ph.D., and colleagues at the UNC Institute on Aging.

The study found nursing homes that implemented the interventions saw several improvements:

  • Facilities using the WIN A STEP UP program saw a decrease in pressure sores among their residents and had lower turnover of direct care workers;
  • Homes participating in Quality Improvement Collaboratives exhibited a reduction in incontinence and the use of restraints;
  • Facilities implementing Culture Change Initiatives experienced a reduction in the use of restraints.

“The study shows North Carolina’s unique partnerships between the state, the university and nursing homes are effectively leveraging federal funds to improve the lives of those who live in as well as those who work in nursing homes,” Konrad said.

The report, titled “Workplace Interventions, Turnover and Quality of Care Report,” can be downloaded from the WIN A STEP UP Web site at http://winastepup.org/reports.

Media note: Konrad can be reached at (919) 244-8659 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Craft Morgan can be reached at (919) 966-0225 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Institute on Aging Web site: www.aging.unc.edu
Institute on Aging contact: Ellen Schneider, (919) 843-8528, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it