Read About the Nursing Home Surveys

The CAHPS Nursing Home Surveys include three instruments designed to provide information on the experiences of nursing home residents and their family members.

The development of these instruments was jointly supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Like all CAHPS surveys, the instruments are in the public domain.

Read more: Sangl J, Buchanan J, Cosenza C, et al. The development of a CAHPS® instrument for nursing home residents (NHCAHPS). J Aging and Social Policy 2007;19(2):63-82. [PubMed].

Versions of the Nursing Home Survey

Multiple versions of the CAHPS Nursing Home Survey are available to meet users' needs:

• Long-Stay Resident Survey. An in-person structured interview for long-term residents.
• Discharged Resident Survey. A mail questionnaire for recently discharged short-stay residents.
• Family Member Survey. A mail questionnaire for residents' family members.

All of the Nursing Home Surveys are available for downloading: Get Nursing Home Surveys and Instructions.

Use of the Nursing Home Surveys

The Nursing Home Surveys can be used in monitoring programs designed to improve both care quality and patient satisfaction. For example, they can be a useful measurement tool for organizations focused on the Person-Centered Care goals of Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes, a national voluntary campaign to improve quality of life for residents and staff (http://www.nhqualitycampaign.org/default.aspx).