CHOICE+ Quality Improvement for Long Term Care Homes

All long-term care (LTC) residents participate in mealtimes daily, offering an ideal opportunity to enhance quality of life through relationship-centred mealtime practices. Unfortunately, task-focused mealtime practices are the norm in LTC with efficiency being prioritized over the social and emotional needs of residents. Compared with relationship-centred mealtimes, residents in a task-focused dining environment have reduced food intake and poorer nutritional status. Building on 20 years of research, the CHOICE+ staff training program supports relationship-centred care using the principles of Connecting, Honouring Dignity, Offering Support, Identity, Creating Opportunities and Enjoyment. CHOICE+ principles and eight steps of implementation have undergone developmental and efficacy evaluation using an external facilitator model. To promote scale and spread, an implementation model consisting of an asynchronous eLearning module, synchronous virtual training sessions, and a virtual monthly community of practice has been created. Staff Champions are trained on behaviour change and implementation techniques to make locally initiated changes that are aligned with the CHOICE+ principles, tailored to their dining room. Staff Champions work with their Dining Team to make these changes. This study's goals are to evaluate this implementation model in 13- 18 diverse homes across Canada and demonstrate that this training improves mealtime experience, resident health, and quality of life for residents, family and staff. A type 2 hybrid implementation study (co-primary purposes of evaluating implementation processes and effectiveness) based on a multi-site three-phase interrupted time series design will be used. Specific research aims are to: a) evaluate this CHOICE+ implementation model according to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), b) identify what program adaptations are required for future scaling, and c) determine if the mealtime experience, resident health outcomes, resident/family food and care satisfaction, and staff work life are impacted by CHOICE+. Champion training is evaluated via questionnaires and on-line polling. Implementation processes will be assessed with monthly recorded virtual community of practice sessions, weekly staff Champion diaries, and end-of study interviews with staff, residents and family. Framework Analysis using CFIR as an analytical framework for deductive coding will be completed to evaluate the implementation model. Standardized meal observations, aggregate food waste (to assess food intake), and monthly body weight of residents will be collected six months prior to implementation, during one year of implementation, and six months post-implementation (5 meals observed at each of 13 observation periods in each home). Standardized questionnaires pre- and post-implementation will assess resident/family food and care satisfaction and staff work-life perceptions, and findings will be mapped to the home implementation process. The research team includes clinician researchers with experience in intervention development, implementation, and evaluation in LTC. The findings and knowledge generated will support the scaling and spread of the CHOICE+ program.