Post-acute care (PAC) refers to the healthcare services that are primarily aimed at restoring health conditions for recently hospitalized patients. In the United States, the healthcare sector is facing unprecedented challenges due to the rapid growth of the elderly population (Murad, 2011). The rising trend of the healthcare costs has been another burden to the citizens and the government. Murad (2011) adds, in 2008 spending on health care “accounted for 16.2% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product”. This issue of rising healthcare costs has been a huge concern for the government and healthcare professionals. The primary goal of post-acute care is to provide both emotional and medical needs for patients as well as all the other medical support they may require for full recovery.
When patients are considered to be out of the acute phase, but still require close medical attention, they may be transferred to skilled nursing facilities. Skilled nursing facilities are vital in restoring patients’ health. However, they are prohibitively expensive. Despite the costly charges, the quality of care has remained to be an issue of concern in most nursing homes. Certainly, the costs must fall, but efficiency and quality of care must progressively remain high. In a study conducted by the United States, General Accounting Office revealed serious deficiencies in nursing facilities that placed residents at serious health complications (Wiener, 2003).
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One way of improving the quality of care in skilled nursing facilities is by maintaining a sufficient number of staff members because these facilities are required to operate 24 hours round the clock. Thus, keeping a good number of staff members would improve the quality of care. Another strategy that would contribute to improved quality of care and efficiency while minimizing costs is staff training. Lack of training is a contributing factor to the poor quality of service delivery in nursing homes. With the increased number of citizens who need post-acute care, training would be a vital strategy in improving quality of care.
References
Murad, Y. (2011). Skilled Nursing Facilities and Post Acute Care. J Gerontol Geriatric Res , 1 (101), 2.
Wiener, J. M. (2003). An assessment of strategies for improving the quality of care in nursing homes. The Gerontologist , 43 (suppl_2), 19-27.
