Non-profit nursing homes give better care

HAMILTON, Ontario, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- After reviewing 82 studies, Canadian researchers say non-profit nursing homes give better care.

The findings of the meta-analysis for thousands of mostly U.S.and some Canadian and Taiwanese nursing homes are published in the British Medical Journal.

The studies of mostly U.S. nursing homes, but also some Canadian and Taiwanese nursing homes gauged care using measures such as the need for physical restraints.

The researchers conclude non-profit facilities overall deliver higher quality care than for-profit facilities -- especially in providing more hours of care.

Senior author Dr. Gordon Guyatt of McMaster University in Hamilton suggests the 10 percent to 15 percent of revenues for profits spend on shareholders and taxes could be used for patients. For example, the study suggests that of the estimated 80,000 U.S. nursing home residents who presently have bedsores -- 7,000 cases may be attributable to for-profit ownership.

"The results are unequivocal and completely consistent with other studies comparing for-profit versus non-profit care," Guyatt says in a statement. "It is time to base healthcare policy on evidence, not ideology."