Assessing quality in nursing homes.

Quality assurance (QA) in nursing homes requires recognition of differences between acute and long-term care in goals, technology, and pace. This article outlines an approach to nursing home QA that would both generate an information system for a facility to review its performance compared to external regulations, and also allow a proactive stance on the part of nursing home staff. After reviewing existing nursing home regulations, this article discusses three necessary components of QA: defining quality and developing criteria; assessing quality; and correcting deficiencies. It argues that a prompt and clear feedback system to personnel is one key to a proactive QA system that becomes self-improving.