Health Workers’ Educational Training and Staffing Concerning Medication Errors, Fall Injuries, and Complaints among Older Adults

Abstract

Several mandatory and voluntary further training programs in healthcare and long-term care sectors are available in Canada. However, the relation between further training of care workers and quality of patient care in hospitals, home care settings, and residential care facilities are unclear. This study investigates the association of further training of nurses, healthcare workers, and care assistants, as well as the health workers’ staffing levels with quality of life of older adults in Canada. Cross-sectional data, which included quality of life variables, such as medication errors, fall injuries, and complaints of older adults across healthcare and social care sectors, were drawn from the Canadian National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses. The additional training of health workers has a positive association with quality of elder care by reducing incidence of fall injury and medication error and increasing resident satisfaction of patients. Staffing level among health workers is also positively associated with these quality of life variables. The findings of the study suggest that health worker staffing level and further professional training can improve quality of life of older adults. This study is original in that it examined a national representative sample from Canada and quality of life variables. Previous studies have not used such a survey thus far. Moreover, this study is unique because it connects professional development and further education to quality of life factors, such as incidence of fall injuries and medication errors, and resident satisfaction.