Nursing Facility Admission Agreements: An Analysis of Selected Content

Abstract

This study employs the method of content analysis to consider the prevalence of required nursing facility admission agreement content. The goal was to assess facilities' compliance with applicable regulations that pertain to nursing home residents' rights to full and accurate information upon admission. Without appropriate information, potential consumers are unaware of the scope of their rights as nursing home residents The study departs from previous research in that it considers the context of recent nursing home reform legislation (OBRA '87) and the degree to which admission agreements reflect important changes in residents' rights requirements. The findings confirm the prevalence of problems and deficiencies in admission agreement language addressed in previous studies and demonstrate the need for improvement in both clarity and accuracy of admission agreement content.