Nursing home directors of nursing experiences regarding safety among residents with obesity.
Justine S Sefcik, Holly C Felix, Marie-Rachelle Narcisse and 4 others
PMID 36007426WHAT IT FOUND
Directors of nursing described caring for residents with obesity as needing two or more staff, bariatric equipment, and extra time for transfers and skin care.
They also reported staff injuries and difficult home discharges. This is their experience, not tested outcomes.
Key findings
01Admission screening was described as depending on bariatric equipment capacity, room space, available staff, and whether local hospitals or ambulances could manage the resident's weight.
02Personal care for residents with obesity was described as needing at least two staff, sometimes three or more, and taking 30 to 45 minutes or more to change.
03Negative experiences reported included staff back, arm, shoulder, and knee injuries, residents rolling out of bed, and short-term residents staying long term when mobility or home discharge plans failed.
STILL TO COME
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What it does not show
Fifteen directors of nursing were recruited from professional conference attendees, so they may have had a strong interest in obesity care and may not represent all nursing homes. The sample was mostly female and White, non-Hispanic, limiting demographic diversity. The authors did not collect quantitative facility data such as size, staffing levels, or number of residents with obesity. No definition of obesity was given to participants during interviews, so obesity may have meant different things to different directors. The study reports perceptions, not measured patient or staff outcomes.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflicts of interest declaration. The publication types list NIH extramural and U.S. Public Health Service research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these reports as evidence that bariatric equipment, two-staff care, training, or coaching prevents injuries or improves resident outcomes. The study asked directors of nursing to describe their experiences, and it did not measure patient or staff outcomes.