[Factors in the implementation of expert standards in nursing: A qualitative study]. / Einflussfaktoren bei der Implementierung von Expertenstandards in der Pflege.

Factors in the implementation of expert standards in nursing: A qualitative study Abstract: Background: Many German health and long-term care facilities face the challenge of implementing expert standards in practice. Implementation models, such as the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), support the implementation process by identifying the relevant influencing factors that can determine the success of an implementation. Aim: The aim was to identify the factors influencing the implementation of expert standards in nursing care and their interactions. Method: The data were collected by means of guided interviews with ten facilitators of the model implementation units for the implementation of the expert standard on promotion of oral health in nursing and from the project progress records. The data were evaluated by content analysis. Results: In addition to the influencing factors according to the CFIR, two other factors were identified that can determine the success of the implementation of expert standards - local presence and knowledge of implementation theories and models. The various and complex interrelationships between the factors in the implementation of expert standards became particularly clear. Conclusion: Knowledge of the fundamentals of implementation science is helpful for the successful and sustainable implementation of expert standards and for general knowledge transfer in nursing.

[Staffing situation in home-care services: A qualitative study on current and future challenges]. / Die Personalsituation in der ambulanten Pflege.

Staffing situation in home-care services: A qualitative study on current and future challenges Abstract. Background: There are increasing signs of staff shortages in home-care nursing in Germany. Home care providers have an increasing number of vacancies and the provision of care for people in need of care is a challenge. There are only a few approaches to planning personnel requirements in home care and the existing ones are rather complex. Aim and research question: The objective of this study was to gain insights into how staff deployment and staff planning currently take place in German home care services and to evaluate options for the development of staffing measures in home care. Methods: Qualitative, guideline-based expert interviews (N = 33) were conducted and analyzed. Experts were representatives of home care service providers, advisors of home care service providers and experts in the field of human resources management. Data analysis was performed by using content analysis. Results: From the experts' point of view home care services cannot ensure sufficient provision of home care services as needed by care-recipients due to staff shortages. Staff planning as well as recruitment and retention of staff pose an increasing challenge. Staff planning is mainly determined by contractual requirements and the reimbursement system. It is less determined by individual care-recipients' needs. The company size of home care providers depends on staff recruitment and turnover. Conclusions: The staffing situation will be a remaining challenge in the foreseeable future. It will go along with the task to ensure an adequate home care supply. Approaches that go beyond reimbursement driven personnel planning can contribute valuable hints for the future.

Workforce issues in home- and community-based long-term care in Germany.

The study addresses staffing and workforce issues for home- and community-based long-term care in Germany. It is based on a study aimed at developing staffing recommendations for home-care provider organisations. The study was commissioned within the regulation of the German long-term care act. Following an exploratory literature search on staffing issues in home- and community-based care qualitative interviews with 30 experts in home care were conducted. In addition, time needed for different interventions in homes of people in need of care (n = 129) was measured. Ethical approval for the study was obtained. The literature on the topic is limited. In Germany, no fixed staff-to-client ratio exists, but staffing is determined primarily by reimbursement policies, not by care recipients' needs. The results of the interviews indicated that staffing ratios are not the main concern of home-care providers. Experts stressed that general availability of staff with different qualification levels and the problems of existing regulation on services and their reimbursement are of higher concern. The measurement of time needed for selected interventions reveals the huge heterogeneity of home-care service delivery and the difficulty of using a task-based approach to determine staffing levels. Overall, the study shows that currently demand for home-care exceeds supply. Staff shortage puts a risk to home care in Germany. Existing approaches of reimbursement-driven determination of staffing levels have not been sufficient. A new balance between staffing, needs and reimbursement policies needs to be developed.