NCT02695836

Brief Summary

This project will evaluate three different strategies to get research findings back to managers of care units in nursing homes. Feedback will be provided in a timely and effective way so that it results in improvements in organizational context (modifiable features of the care unit work environment, such as Formal Interactions, Informal Interactions, Social Capital or Slack Time), quality of care providers' work life (e.g., burnout, job satisfaction, general health) and quality of care. Three feedback packages will be tested to determine the strategy that is most effective at fostering improvements and is also cost-effective. The project will be carried out in nursing homes in Alberta and British Columbia. The information developed will contribute to better care for Canadian seniors who spend their final years in a nursing home.

Trial Health

100
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
119

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2016

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

January 22, 2016

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 1, 2016

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 1, 2016

Completed
1.8 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 31, 2017

Completed
2 years until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 31, 2019

Completed
Last Updated

March 24, 2020

Status Verified

March 1, 2020

Enrollment Period

1.8 years

First QC Date

January 22, 2016

Last Update Submit

March 23, 2020

Conditions

Keywords

Audit and FeedbackNursing HomesOrganizational ContextQuality ImprovementCare AidesLeadershipResident Assessment Instrument (RAI)Alberta Context Tool (ACT)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Formal Interactions (FI)

    FI is one of ten concepts included in the Alberta Context Tool (ACT). It is defined as "formal exchanges that occur between individuals working within an organization (unit) through scheduled activities that can promote the transfer of knowledge." FI includes four items asking care aides how often, in the last typical month, they participated in (a) team meetings about residents, (b) family conferences, (c) change-of-shift report, and (d) continuing education (conferences, courses) outside the nursing home (rated from 1=never to 5=almost always). To score FI, scores of each item are recoded (1 and 2 =\> 0; 3 =\> .5; 4 and 5 =\> 1) and summed up. FI therefore is scored with values ranging from 0 to 4, and averaged.

    Post-intervention assessment, up to 6 months (July-December 2017)

  • Formal Interactions (FI)

    FI is one of ten concepts included in the Alberta Context Tool (ACT). It is defined as "formal exchanges that occur between individuals working within an organization (unit) through scheduled activities that can promote the transfer of knowledge." FI includes four items asking care aides how often, in the last typical month, they participated in (a) team meetings about residents, (b) family conferences, (c) change-of-shift report, and (d) continuing education (conferences, courses) outside the nursing home (rated from 1=never to 5=almost always). To score FI, scores of each item are recoded (1 and 2 =\> 0; 3 =\> .5; 4 and 5 =\> 1) and summed up. FI therefore is scored with values ranging from 0 to 4, and averaged.

    Long-term follow up, up to 6 months (January-June 2019)

Secondary Outcomes (18)

  • Evaluation (Unit Feedback)

    Post-intervention assessment, up to 6 months (July-December 2017)

  • Evaluation (Unit Feedback)

    Long-term follow up, up to 6 months (January-June 2019)

  • Social Capital

    Post-intervention assessment, up to 6 months (July-December 2017)

  • Social Capital

    Long-term follow up, up to 6 months (January-June 2019)

  • Organizational Slack (OS) Time

    Post-intervention assessment, up to 6 months (July-December 2017)

  • +13 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (3)

Standard feedback

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Facilities in this arm will receive an initial face-to-face dissemination workshop that includes feedback of research data on modifiable aspects of their microsystem context but no goal setting.

Other: Initial face-to-face dissemination workshop

Basic assisted feedback

EXPERIMENTAL

In addition to the face-to-face dissemination workshop, facilities in this arm will receive a face-to-face goal setting workshop focused on modifiable areas of their microsystem context and two virtual support workshops at six month intervals.

Other: Initial face-to-face dissemination workshopOther: Face-to-face goal setting workshopOther: Virtual support workshops

Enhanced assisted feedback

EXPERIMENTAL

In addition to the face-to-face dissemination workshop, facilities in this arm will receive an additional face-to-face goal setting workshop focused on modifiable areas of their microsystem context, two additional face-to-face support workshops at six month intervals plus on-demand email and telephone support.

Other: Initial face-to-face dissemination workshopOther: Face-to-face goal setting workshopOther: Face-to-face support workshopsOther: On-demand email and telephone support

Interventions

Managers and directors of care will receive a printed report (tailored to their facility) on their facility's performance and performance of each unit (microsystem) within that facility. The workshop will include a presentation of the feedback reports with a particular focus on the core set of actionable context targets (Formal Interactions, Evaluation, Social Capital, Organizational Slack (OS) - Time) in the face-to-face workshops. Following the presentation, participants will discuss their reports in facilitated, round-table group discussions to a) help with interpretation of the results overall, b) draw attention to elements of context that are modifiable, c) encourage microsystem teams to work on improving the more modifiable areas

Basic assisted feedbackEnhanced assisted feedbackStandard feedback

Sessions will build on the dissemination workshops and will be held three months after. Feedback reports on Formal Interactions, Evaluation, Social Capital, and Organizational Slack (OS) - Time will be discussed. Small group activities will take place including: a) reflecting on context data, b) performance goal setting using the 'tell and sell' method, which capitalizes on the workshop leaders' perceived expertise about what goals are achievable, c) establishing a series of proximal learning goals that will provide teams with explicit strategies for attaining performance goals set in (b). An action plan and instructions for reporting back at the Virtual Support Workshop will be provided.

Basic assisted feedbackEnhanced assisted feedback

On virtual support workshop will be held six months after the feedback and goal setting workshop, and a second one another six months later. Groups will a) report on their progress in the proximal learning goals and strategies used toward their performance goals, b) discuss challenges they may be encountering, and c) receive support from the research team in addressing these challenges.

Basic assisted feedback

On face-to-face support workshop will be held six months after the feedback and goal setting workshop, and a second one another six months later. Groups will a) report on their progress in the proximal learning goals and strategies used toward their performance goals, b) discuss challenges they may be encountering, and c) receive support from the research team in addressing these challenges. Workshops will be attended by all participating teams from a region, to maximize opportunities for teams to learn from one another and trouble-shoot together with the support of workshop leaders.

Enhanced assisted feedback

Participants can contact the research team if needed with requests for support in defining or implementing improvement strategies or dealing with barriers towards improvement.

Enhanced assisted feedback

Eligibility Criteria

Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Participates in the Translating Research in Elder Care program
  • Located in on of the following health regions in Alberta and British Columbia: Alberta North, Alberta South, Fraser Health, Interior Health
  • At least one care unit in the facility with 10 or more care aide responses to our TREC survey
  • Care aide responses can be assigned to a care unit in the facility as defined by TREC (TREC microsystem)

You may not qualify if:

  • Does not participate in TREC
  • Not located in the above named health regions
  • No care unit in the facility with 10 or more care aide responses to our TREC survey
  • Care aide responses cannot be assigned to a TREC defined microsystem
  • Care Units:
  • or more care aide responses to our TREC survey
  • Clearly identifiable unit leader (can also lead other units)
  • Stable leadership over the last year
  • Less than 10 care aide responses to our TREC survey
  • No clearly identifiable unit leader
  • No stable leadership over the last year
  • Care Professionals:
  • Leader of one or more included care units (care managers, directors of care)
  • Assistant leader of one or more included care units
  • Quality improvement specialist or clinical educator/instructor of one or more included care units
  • +5 more criteria

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Related Publications (3)

  • Ginsburg LR, Hoben M, Easterbrook A, Anderson RA, Estabrooks CA, Norton PG. Fidelity is not easy! Challenges and guidelines for assessing fidelity in complex interventions. Trials. 2021 May 29;22(1):372. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05322-5.

  • Hoben M, Ginsburg LR, Easterbrook A, Norton PG, Anderson RA, Andersen EA, Bostrom AM, Cranley LA, Lanham HJ, Weeks LE, Cummings GG, Holroyd-Leduc JM, Squires JE, Wagg AS, Estabrooks CA. Comparing effects of two higher intensity feedback interventions with simple feedback on improving staff communication in nursing homes-the INFORM cluster-randomized controlled trial. Implement Sci. 2020 Sep 10;15(1):75. doi: 10.1186/s13012-020-01038-3.

  • Hoben M, Norton PG, Ginsburg LR, Anderson RA, Cummings GG, Lanham HJ, Squires JE, Taylor D, Wagg AS, Estabrooks CA. Improving Nursing Home Care through Feedback On PerfoRMance Data (INFORM): Protocol for a cluster-randomized trial. Trials. 2017 Jan 10;18(1):9. doi: 10.1186/s13063-016-1748-8.

Related Links

Study Officials

  • Carole A Estabrooks, PhD

    University of Alberta

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Masking Details
Participants and outcome assessors are blinded to study arm assignment
Purpose
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor & Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Translation

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

January 22, 2016

First Posted

March 1, 2016

Study Start

March 1, 2016

Primary Completion

December 31, 2017

Study Completion

December 31, 2019

Last Updated

March 24, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-03