A Report of Information Technology and Health Deficiencies in U.S. Nursing Homes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of nursing home (NH) information technology (IT) sophistication on publically reported health safety deficiency scores documented during standard inspections.

METHODS: The sample included 807 NHs from every U.S. state. A total of 2187 health inspections were documented in these facilities. A national IT sophistication survey describing IT capabilities, extent of IT use, and degree of IT integration in resident care, clinical support, and administrative activities in U.S. NHs was used. The relationship between NH health deficiencies and IT sophistication survey scores was examined, using weighted regression.

RESULTS: Controlling for registered nurse hours per resident day, deficiency scores decreased as total IT sophistication increased. Controlling for total IT sophistication score, deficiency scores decreased as registered nurse hours per resident day increased. Ownership status significantly influenced health deficiency scores.

CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the necessity to understand benefits of implementing NH IT and demonstrating its impact on patient safety.