Structured Abstract

Contents

• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Key Informants
• Technical Expert Panel
• Peer Reviewers
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
  • Background
  • Definition of Dementia
  • Prevalence of Dementia
  • Impact of Dementia
  • Dementia in Long-Term Care Settings
  • Critical Role of Family Caregivers in Dementia
  • Need for Evidence-Based Guidance for Consumers Who Wish To Select a Long-Term Care Setting
  • Characteristics of Long-Term Care Settings
  • Scope and Key Questions
• Methods
  • Topic Refinement and Review Protocol
  • Literature Search Strategy
  • Quality Assessment of Individual Studies
  • Data Synthesis
  • Strength of the Body of Evidence
  • Applicability
  • Peer Review and Public Commentary
• Results
  • Introduction
  • Results of Literature Searches
  • Description of Included Studies
  • KQ 1 Health Outcomes for People With Dementia
  • KQ 2 Psychosocial Outcomes for People With Dementia
  • KQ 3 Health Outcomes for Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia
  • KQ 4 Psychosocial Outcomes for Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia
  • KQ 5 Dementia Severity and Other Characteristics of the Person With Dementia
• Discussion
  • Key Findings and Strength of Evidence: Outcomes
  • Key Findings and Strength of Evidence: Organizational Characteristics, Structures of Care, and Processes of Care
  • Implications for Clinical and Policy Decisionmaking
  • Limitations of the Comparative Effectiveness Review Process
  • Limitations of the Evidence Base
  • Research Gaps
  • Conclusions
• References
• Appendix A Search Strategy
• Appendix B Excluded Studies
• Appendix C Evidence Tables
• Appendix D Quality Assessment
• Appendix E Outcome Scales Commonly Used in Dementia Studies

Prepared for: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services¹, Contract No. 290-2007-10056-I. Prepared by: RTI International–University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center, Research Triangle Park, NC

Suggested citation:

Zimmerman S, Anderson W, Brode S, Jonas D, Lux L, Beeber A, Watson L, Viswanathan M, Lohr K, Middleton JC, Jackson L, Sloane P. Comparison of Characteristics of Nursing Homes and Other Residential Long-Term Care Settings for People With Dementia. Comparative Effectiveness Review No. 79. (Prepared by the RTI International–University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-2007-10056-I.) AHRQ Publication No. 12(13)-EHC127-EF. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; October 2012. www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/reports/final/cfm.

This report is based on research conducted by the RTI International–University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD (Contract No. 290-2007-10056-I). The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the authors, who are responsible for its contents; the findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. Therefore, no statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The information in this report is intended to help health care decisionmakers—patients and clinicians, health system leaders, and policymakers, among others—make well-informed decisions and thereby improve the quality of health care services. This report is not intended to be a substitute for the application of clinical judgment. Anyone who makes decisions concerning the provision of clinical care should consider this report in the same way as any medical reference and in conjunction with all other pertinent information, i.e., in the context of available resources and circumstances presented by individual patients.

This report may be used, in whole or in part, as the basis for development of clinical practice guidelines and other quality enhancement tools, or as a basis for reimbursement and coverage policies. AHRQ or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorsement of such derivative products may not be stated or implied.

None of the investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement that conflicts with the material presented in this report.

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