Factors Related to Higher and Lower Performance and Adherence in STAR-VA Program Sustainment in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Living Centers (CLCs).

Sullivan JL ，Pendergast J ，Wray LO ，Adjognon OL ，Curyto KJ ... -  《-》

Identifying Factors Affecting the Sustainability of the STAR-VA Program in the Veterans Health Administration.

Sustained implementation of new programs in complex care systems like nursing homes is challenging. This prospective qualitative evaluation examined factors affecting the sustainability of the Staff Training in Assisted Living Residences in Veterans Health Administration (STAR-VA) program in Veterans Health Administration (VA) Community Living Centers (CLC, i.e., nursing homes). STAR-VA is an evidence-based interdisciplinary, resident-centered, behavioral approach for managing distress behaviors in dementia. In 2019, we conducted 39 semistructured phone interviews with STAR-VA key informants across 20 CLCs. We identified a priori themes based on the Organizational Memory Framework, which includes 7 Knowledge Reservoirs (KRs): people, routines, artifacts, relationships, organizational information space, culture, and structure. We conducted content-directed analysis of transcripts to identify factors to program sustainment. We identified 9 sustainment facilitators across KRs: engaged site leaders and champions, regular meetings and trainings, written documentation and resources, regular and open communication, available educational tools (e.g., handouts and posters), adequate spaces, leadership support on many levels, staff buy-in across disciplines, and staff competencies and recognition. Ten barriers across KRs included: staffing concerns, inconsistent/inefficient routines, inconsistent documentation, lack of written policies, communication gaps, nonstandardized use of tools, constraints with meeting spaces and regulations on posting information, limited leadership support, division among staff, and missing performance expectations. Findings inform tailored strategies for optimizing STAR-VA program sustainment in CLCs, including the development of a sustained implementation guide, implementation resources, regional communities of practice, and STAR-VA integration into national CLC quality improvement routines for team communication and problem-solving.

Adjognon OL ，Sullivan JL ，Pendergast J ，Wray LO ，Curyto K ... -  《-》

Implementation Lessons Learned: Distress Behaviors in Dementia Intervention in Veterans Health Administration.

Evidence-based practices to manage distress behaviors in dementia (DBD) are not consistently implemented despite demonstrated effectiveness. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) trained teams to implement Staff Training in Assisted Living Residences (STAR)-VA, an intervention to manage DBD in VA nursing home settings, or Community Living Centers (CLCs). This paper summarizes multiyear formative evaluation results including challenges, adaptations, and lessons learned to support sustained integration into usual care across CLCs nationwide. STAR was selected as an evidence-based practice for DBD, adapted for and piloted in VA (STAR-VA), and implemented through a train-the-trainer program from 2013 to 2018. Training and consultation were provided to 92 CLC teams. Evaluation before and after training and consultation included descriptive statistics of measures of clinical impact and survey feedback from site teams regarding self-confidence, engagement, resource quality, and content analysis of implementation facilitators and challenges. STAR-VA training and consultation increased staff confidence and resulted in significant decreases in DBD, depression, anxiety, and agitation for Veterans engaged in the intervention. Implementation outcomes demonstrated feasibility and identified facilitators and barriers. Key findings were interpreted using implementation frameworks and informed subsequent modifications to sustain implementation. STAR-VA successfully prepared teams to manage DBD and resulted in improved outcomes. Lessons learned include importance of behavioral health-nursing partnerships, continuous engagement, iterative feedback and adaptations, and sustainment planning. Evaluation of sustainment factors has informed selection of implementation strategies to address sustainment barriers. Lessons learned have implications for integrating team-based practices into system-level practice.

Curyto K ，Wray LO ，Sullivan JL ，McConnell ES ，Jedele JM ，Minor L ，Karel MJ ... -  《-》

Supporting Sustained STAR-VA Implementation: Evaluation of a Sustainment Coaching Program.

The Veterans Health Administration (VA) STAR-VA program is a person-centered, interdisciplinary intervention for managing distress behaviors in dementia in VA nursing homes, called Community Living Centers (CLCs). Teams often struggle to sustain STAR-VA after site-lead partner turnover. The STAR-VA Sustainment Coaching Program was developed to support a new local STAR-VA behavioral coordinator and/or nurse champion (ie, site-leads) and engage the team to implement sustainment strategies. The aims of this evaluation were to document sustainment needs, barriers and facilitators, and effective strategies used during a sustainment intervention. We describe qualitative and quantitative findings of a program evaluation of the STAR-VA Sustainment Coaching pilot program. Eight CLC teams participated in the pilot program, 5 training a new nurse champion, 2 a new behavioral coordinator, and 1 both new site-leads. CLC teams completed a needs assessment, developed sustainment goals and plans, tracked sustainment interventions implemented, and reported case outcomes. Outcome assessment and tracking reports were summarized and themes identified using a qualitative inductive approach. Common sustainment needs were to train a new nurse champion, promote staff understanding of dementia and distress behaviors, and promote a culture of person-centered dementia care. Most sites selected sustainment goals of implementing training procedures and behavioral rounds. Sustainment barriers included limited staff time, staff turnover, lack of supportive routines and tools, and limited awareness of STAR-VA. Facilitators included leadership support, staff interest, and training resources. Most sites reported successful implementation of STAR-VA behavior rounds, whereas strategies to achieve training-related goals had variable success. The STAR-VA Sustainment Coaching Program helped CLC teams identify and implement strategies to support sustained STAR-VA implementation. The results of this project are informing ongoing efforts to integrate STAR-VA components into usual care processes for CLC residents with dementia.

Bower ES ，Curyto KJ ，Karel MJ 《-》

VA nursing home compare metrics as an indicator of skilled nursing facility quality for veterans.

The Veterans Administration (VA) provides several post-acute care (PAC) options for Veterans, including VA-owned nursing homes (called Community Living Centers, CLCs). In 2016, the VA released CLC Compare star ratings to support decision-making. However, the relationship between CLC Compare star ratings and Veterans CLC post-acute outcomes is unknown. Retrospective observational study using national VA and Medicare data for Veterans discharged to a CLC for PAC. We used a multivariate regression model with hospital random effects to examine the association between CLC Compare overall star ratings and PAC outcomes while controlling for patient, facility, and hospital factors. Our sample included Veteran enrollees age 65+ who were community-dwelling, experienced a hospitalization, and were discharged to a CLC in 2016-2017. PAC outcomes included 30-day unplanned hospital readmission, 30-day mortality, 100-day successful community discharge, and a secondary composite outcome of unplanned readmission or death within 30-days of the hospital discharge. Of the 25,107 CLC admissions, 4088 (16.3%) experienced an unplanned readmission, 4069 (16.2%) died within 30-days of hospital discharge, and 12,093 (48.2%) had a successful 100-day community discharge. Admission to a lower-quality (1-star) facility was associated with lower odds of successful community discharge (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.66, 0.91) and higher odds of a combined endpoint of 30-day mortality and readmission (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.09, 1.49), compared to 5-star facilities. However, outcomes were not consistently different between 5-star and 2, 3, or 4-star facilities. Star ratings were not associated with individual readmission or mortality outcomes when considered separately. These findings suggest comparisons of 1-star and 5-star CLCs may provide meaningful information for Veterans making decisions about post-acute care. Identifying ways to alter the star ratings so they are differentially associated with outcomes meaningful to Veterans at each level is essential. We found that 1-star facilities had higher rates of 30-day unplanned hospital readmission/death, and lower rates of 100-day successful community discharges compared to 5-star facilities. Yet, like past work on CMS Nursing Home Compare ratings, these relationships were found to be inconsistent or not meaningful across all star levels. CLC Compare may provide useful information for discharge and organizational planning, with some limitations.

Manges KA ，Medvedeva E ，Ersek M ，Burke RE ... -  《-》