Nursing home deficiency citations for infection control

BackgroundThis study examined the deficiency citation for infection control (ie, F-Tag 441). This information represents potential problems in infection control as identified in the yearly certification process of almost all US nursing homes.MethodsThe data used came primarily from the Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting data base, which contains information on both deficiency citations and characteristics of nursing homes. The data for each nursing home from 2000 through 2007 were combined, providing a panel of 100,000 observations. Multivariate analyses and generalized estimating equations with a logit link were used.ResultsAn average of 15% of all nursing homes received a deficiency citation for infection control each year from 2000 to 2007. In the multivariate analyses, several staffing levels were robust in their significance. For all 3 types of caregiver examined (ie, nurse aides, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Registered Nurses), low staffing levels were associated with receipt of a deficiency citation for infection control.ConclusionThe high number of deficiency citations for infection control problems identified in this study suggests the need for increased emphasis on these programs in nursing homes to protect vulnerable elders.