Improving Patient Safety in Long-Term Care Facilities

Training Modules

Detecting and promptly reporting changes in a nursing home resident's condition are critical for ensuring the resident's well-being and safety. Such changes may represent a patient safety problem, and they can be a signal that the resident is at increased risk for falling and other complications.

Photograph of staff member with nursing home resident.

Photograph of staff member with nursing home resident.

Training nursing home staff—particularly nursing staff—to be on the lookout for changes in a nursing home resident's condition and to effectively communicate those changes is one tool nursing home administrators can employ to improve patient safety, create a more resident-centered environment, and reduce the number of falls and fall-related injuries.

Course Content

These new educational materials are intended for use in training front-line personnel in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. The materials were developed for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under a contract to the RAND Corporation. They are organized into three modules:

The Instructor Guide comprises all three modules, including suggested slides and pre- and post-tests to gauge the student's knowledge level before and after training. Separate student workbooks are available for each module.

Ordering Information

Printed copies of the Instructor Guide and student modules can be ordered separately or as a set from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse.

To request copies of the printed materials, send an Email to the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse atAHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or call 1-800-358-9295. Be sure to specify the AHRQ Publication number when ordering.

Instructor Materials

The 96-page Instructor guide can be ordered separately or as a complete set that includes one copy of the instructor guide and one copy each of the student workbooks for Modules 1, 2, and 3.

Single copies free; Charges may apply for additional quantities and for shipping to addresses outside of the United States.

Instructor Guide, 96 pp. (AHRQ publication no. 12-0001-1) (describes how to use the materials in the Student Workbooks as a teaching session, including suggested slides and pre- and post-tests to gauge the student's knowledge level before and after training).
Instructor Set (AHRQ Publication no. 12-0001) (includes one instructor guide and one copy each of the three student workbooks).

Student Materials

Separate student workbooks are available for each module. The workbooks can also be ordered separately or as a Student Workbook set. Copies of the student workbooks are also included in the Instructor Set.

Single copies free; Charges may apply for additional quantities and for shipping to addresses outside of the United States.

Module 1. Detecting Change in a Resident's Condition: Student Workbook, 20 pp (AHRQ Publication no. 12-0001-2).
Module 2. Communicating Change in a Resident's Condition: Student Workbook, 19 pp (AHRQ Publication no. 12-0001-3).
Module 3. Falls Prevention and Management: Student Workbook, 19 pp (AHRQ Publication no. 12-0001-4).
Student Workbook Set (includes one copy each of the student workbooks for the three-module set ) (AHRQ Publication no. 12-0001-5).

Page last reviewed July 2012

Internet Citation: Improving Patient Safety in Long-Term Care Facilities: Training Modules. July 2012. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/long-term-care/resources/facilities/ptsafety/index.html