Table 3 Research questions for the long-term care facility setting in descending order of priority.

1.

What factors are associated with the decision to transfer residents of long-term care

facilities with fever or suspected infection to acute care hospitals?

2.

What institutional strategies are effective in preventing infection in residents of

long-term care facilities?

3.

Does early nutritional intervention reduce severity or duration of infection?

4.

Does a clinical pathway for management of nursing home acquired pneumonia

improve outcomes and reduce cost?

5.

What is the impact of MRSA on the quality of life in older adults who reside in long-

term care facilities?

6.

In the emergency room, what factors are associated with the decision to admit older

adults with nursing home acquired pneumonia?

7.

What is the most effective strategy for reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing?

8.

What is the diagnostic accuracy of definition of infection in residents of long-term

care facilities?

9.

What quality of life outcomes resulting from infection are important from the

perspective of staff, relatives and family?

10.

What are the attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of long-term care facility residents,

healthcare providers, families regarding on-site treatment of infection in the long-

term care facility?

11.

In long-term care facilities, do isolation precautions reduce transmission of

antibiotic resistant bacteria?

12.

In residents of long-term care facilities, does eradication therapy for MRSA

reduce transmission of this organism?

13.

In residents of long-term care facilities with acute delirium and bacteriuria, do

antibiotics improve mental status?