Differences in Quality of Care Interactions Across Care Tasks in Assisted Living

Background: The quality of care interactions is crucial for the quality of life of assisted living residents. However, limited research has explored how interaction quality varies across different care tasks. Purpose: This study aimed to assess whether the quality of care interactions differs by care task type in assisted living communities. Methods: This was a descriptive study done in 4 assisted living communities in Maryland. A total of 152 staff–resident care interactions were observed across various care tasks (eg, clinical care and dietary care) using an observation tool that categorizes the quality of the interaction as positive social, positive care, neutral, negative protective, or negative restrictive. Results: Most interactions were positive care (36%) and occurred during supportive/ambulatory care (34%). Care interactions during supportive/ambulatory care were significantly more negative than interactions during intimate personal care (P = .022). Conclusion: Future research should focus on interventions aimed at improving the quality of care interactions during supportive/ambulatory care tasks.