Development of communication tool for resident- and family-led care discussions in long-term care through patient and family engagement.
Lisa Cranley, Gajan Sivakumaran, Shoshana Helfenbaum and 5 others
PMID 34618396WHAT IT FOUND
Residents and family members helped shape a long-term care conversation tool, asking for plain language, a positive-experience prompt, and clearer requests.
All participants said it was easy to use, but the tool was not tested for patient outcomes.
Key findings
01All participants said the tool was easy to use.
02The final tool had five main questions to guide resident and family care discussions.
03The questions used an adapted SBAR structure, with Assessment replaced by Actions and Requests added.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The development sample was small: 11 participants, including only 2 residents. Residents with severe cognitive impairment were excluded, so the tool was not shaped by people with more advanced dementia. All participants spoke English, and the tool was developed in English only. The care team did not give feedback at this stage. The study reports tool development and user feedback, not whether the tool improves communication or resident outcomes. Only one study collaborator provided written feedback.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that the tool improves resident care or communication. It reports development feedback from 11 participants and does not test the tool with care teams or measure outcomes.