Racial differences in the quality of care interactions among nursing home residents with dementia.

Objective: The resident population in nursing homes is increasingly racially diverse. The purpose of this study was to assess racial differences in the quality of care interactions among nursing home residents with dementia.

Design: The study utilized baseline data from the Testing the Evidence Integration Triangle for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (EIT-4-BPSD), a randomized controlled pragmatic trial. The Quality of Interaction Scale (QuIS) was used to measure quality of staff-resident care interactions. The sample included 531 residents. An analysis of covariance was conducted to address the aim.

Results: The majority of interactions were positive social (42%) or positive care (37%). Black residents living with dementia had higher QuIS scores (M = 5.98, SD = 1.66) than White residents with dementia (M = 5.40, SD = 1.75), whereas higher QuIS scores indicating more positive interactions. However, the results of the analysis of covariance indicated that there was not a significant difference in QuIS scores between Black versus White residents living with dementia (p =.203).

Conclusion: The findings suggest that care interactions in nursing homes are consistent between Black residents and White residents. Future research should evaluate the impact of staff race on the quality of care interaction among nursing home residents.