Striving for excellence: MDS coordinators’ perceptions of their role in the nursing home

摘要

The purpose of this study was to explore how Minimum Data Set (MDS) coordinators perceive their role and the assessment process. Eleven MDS coordinators from ten geographically dispersed nursing homes (NH) were interviewed between May and September 2013. Four broad themes emerged from the content analysis: 1) information gathering, 2) interdisciplinary coordination, 3) role challenges and 4) resources. The first two themes referred to key components and competencies in the MDS coordinators’ role, the third theme dealt with certain challenges inherent in that role and the fourth theme highlighted resources that helped address these challenges. This study provides insight into how MDS coordinators perceive their role, as well as some of the challenges they face to successfully enact that role. Findings from this study can help inform NH management staff, such as directors of nursing and NH administrators and policy makers on how best to support MDS coordinators’ work to enable efficient and accurate resident assessment processes.