Do nursing home patient ombudsmen make a difference?

A sample of long-term care facilities utilizing ombudsman services was compared to facilities not in receipt of such mediation services. Independent assessment measures were derived from State Department of Health ratings and complaint statistics for long-term care facilities. Findings revealed that ombudsman-served facilities were not appreciably different from facilities not served by ombudsmen. Facilities served by ombudsmen, however, received a relatively higher amount of complaints than did the facility group not served by ombudsmen, particularly in areas not covered by statutory abuse reporting requirements. It is suggested that nursing home patient ombudsmen call attention to aspects of quality care not currently assured by other protective mechanisms.