Grant: Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI)

Using the latest innovations and research evidence to care for seniors living in residential long term care (nursing homes) is an important goal that is best achieved when successful innovations and practices can spread throughout the nursing home sector efficiently. However, we know little about the informal communication networks between nursing home leaders and nursing homes that are so important to this spread. For example, are nursing home leaders in touch with each other? Do nursing home "centers of influence" exist? An understanding of these networks in nursing homes will make an important contribution to the transfer and exchange of knowledge among nursing home leaders on many topics such as implementing new innovations and quality improvement programs. In our study, researchers and knowledge users in the nursing home sector will work together focusing on three main components. First, we will discover the network structure using a short network survey that will be completed by nursing home Directors of Care in Western, Atlantic and Northern Canada. Second, we will explore in interviews with some of these leaders why they seek the opinions of the people they do. Third, we will work with partners and stakeholders to spread awareness of the findings and develop strategies to use these existing networks to expand methods for spreading new information. By identifying these networks new knowledge on topics like best practices, resident care and quality improvement can be spread more effectively and quickly to the people directly involved with caring for older adults living in nursing homes.