Improving Patient Experiences and Outcomes Through Personal Care Aide Training

• Published in: Journal of patient experience 2018-03, Vol.5 (1), p.56-62
• Main Authors: Luz, Clare C, Hanson, Katherine V, Hao, Yuning, Spurgeon, Elizabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Personal grooming; Quality of care
• ISSN: 2374-3735; 2374-3743; 2374-3743; 2374-3735
• DOI: 10.1177/2374373517724349

Introduction: The rapidly aging US population is resulting in major challenges including delivering quality care at lower costs in the face of a critical health-care workforce shortage. The movement toward home care has dramatically increased the need for qualified, paid personal care aides (PCAs). Adequate PCA training that focuses on skills for person-centered, at home support is an imperative. This study provides evidence that clients of PCAs who have completed a comprehensive, evidence-based PCA training program, titled Building Training…Building Quality (BTBQ), report higher satisfaction and better health outcomes, compared to clients of PCAs with lesser or other training. Methods: A mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design was used to compare self-reported survey responses from clients of BTBQ-trained PCAs (treatment group) with responses from clients of non-BTBQ-trained PCAs (control group). Results: Clients of BTBQ-trained PCAs had significantly fewer falls and emergency department visits compared to clients whose PCAs had no BTBQ training (P < .05). Conclusion: BTBQ-like PCA training reduces costly adverse events.