Which residential care facilities are delivering inadequate care? A simplecase-finding questionnaire

The aim of this study was to develop a case-finding tool enabling the ident ification of residential care facilities that provide inadequate care to im paired older persons and assess its validity. This was done using data from a recent study that involved 88 homes for the aged located in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. For that study, facility managers were interviewed for information about themselves and their residence, while quality of care wa s assessed with the QUALCARE Scale for each of 301 residents of the selecte d homes. Multivariate regression analyses helped develop a short questionna ire that can be completed during a telephone interview with the facility ma nager. With 85 per cent sensitivity and 65 per cent specificity in identify ing homes delivering inadequate care, this case-finding questionnaire is si mple, inexpensive and shows good evidence of validity.