Coordination of Care at Nursing Homes

Overview

One of the key ethical issues affecting the coordination and continuum of care for a nursing home community organization is the question of informed consent. Informed consent is important because it ensures that residents and their families have all the information they need to make an informed decision about their care. Informed consent also helps to protect nursing home staff from liability in the event that something goes wrong. Another key ethical issue affecting nursing home care is the question of end-of-life care. This is an especially sensitive issue because it can be difficult to determine when a resident is no longer able to make decisions about their own care. Nursing home staff must walk a fine line between respecting the wishes of residents and their families and ensuring that residents receive the best possible care. Additionally, in COVID times, questions of ethics surrounding how to implement policy with respect to nursing homes has arisen. This presentation will discuss regulation/policy effects, HIPAA, COVID, nursing code of ethics, and other factors that need to be considered.

The Effect of Regulation/Policy on Nursing Home Residents

Nursing homes are required to follow both state and federal regulations in order to ensure the safety and well-being of their residents. One specific policy that affects nursing homes is the requirements for staffing levels. Federal guidelines indicate that there must be at least one nurse on staff at all times, and staff must be able to meet the needs of residents in a timely manner. This policy affects the coordination of care because it ensures that there is always someone available to provide care and assistance to residents (Harrington et al., 2020). In addition, staffing requirements help to ensure that residents receive the level of care they need in a timely manner.

Another policy that affects nursing homes is the requirement for reporting incidents. Federal regulations require nursing homes to report any incidents that occur, regardless of whether or not they resulted in injury or harm. This helps to ensure that incidents are investigated and that steps are taken to prevent them from happening again in the future. This policy affects the coordination of care because it helps to identify potential problems and ensure that corrective action is taken.

HIPPA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996 with the goal of protecting the confidentiality of patient health information. Under HIPAA, nursing homes are required to maintain a secure environment for storing and transmitting patient data. This includes ensuring that only authorized employees have access to the information, and that patients have the...…continuum of care.

Factors that Contribute to Health, Disparities and Access

There are many factors that contribute to individual and population health. These include access to prevention and treatment services, the social and economic environment, genetic predisposition, and personal behaviors. Health disparities refer to differences in health outcomes that are related to social or economic status. Disparities can be seen in measures of mortality, morbidity, life expectancy, and health-related quality of life. There are many factors that contribute to health disparities, including unequal access to healthcare, racism, and poverty. Addressing health disparities requires a comprehensive approach that includes efforts to improve access to services, address social determinants of health, and reduce disparities in risk factors for poor health (Stormacq et al., 2019).

Social Determinants of Health

The social determinants of health in Healthy People 2030 are identified as a framework for this initiative, and they include factors such as income, education, employment, housing, and social environments. The coordination of care in nursing homes is an important aspect of meeting these goals. nursing homes provide care for some of the most vulnerable members of society, and they are often inadequately staffed and funded. As a result, coordination of care is essential to ensuring that residents receive the high-quality care they need and deserve. By working to improve coordination of care in nursing homes, we can…