An Unintended Consequence of Culture Change in VA Community Living Centers.
Jill Harrison, Denise A Tyler, Renée R Shield and 5 others
PMID 27956073WHAT IT FOUND
Home-like spaces, personalized routines, and close staff-veteran bonds in VA short-stay living centers sometimes made veterans reluctant to leave after their treatment goals were met.
Staff described discharge as ending relationships, not just completing care.
Key findings
01Staff described making the living centers feel more home-like, and they linked those comforts to veterans not wanting to leave.
02Honoring veterans’ choices about daily care and therapy was valued, but staff found it hard to enforce discharge when a veteran wanted to stay.
03Close staff-veteran relationships and bonds with other veterans were described as reasons veterans stayed longer and as making discharge harder.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only a small number of VA centers compared with all VA centers, so findings may not apply to all nursing homes or all VA centers. Not all staff at the visited centers participated, so views of nonparticipants may differ. The study reports themes and perceptions, not measured treatment effects or discharge outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that culture change lengthens stays. The study reports perceptions about discharge barriers, not measured discharge outcomes.