Study: Not-for-profit nursing homes offer higher quality than for-profits

Non-profit nursing homes seem to provide better care than for-profit facilities, according to a new study by Canadian researchers who looked at results from 82 studies conducted from 1965 through 2003.

In 40 of the studies, researchers found that non-profit nursing homes offered much better quality care, and three other studies suggested that non-profit home offered better care. Results varied for the remaining 39 studies analyzed by the Canadian team, which were conducted in both Canada and the United States.

The research team, from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, concluded that non-profit homes did better in four key quality measures: more or higher-quality staffing; lower pressure ulcer rates; less use of physical restraints; and fewer deficiencies cited by regulators.

All told, authors calculated that if all nursing homes were non-profit, U.S. residents would get 500,000 more hours of nursing care per day, while Canadian residents would receive 42,000 more hours of nursing care per day.

To learn more about the study:
- read this HealthDay News item