Question

Case

Conflict of Interest or Not?

Bestcare Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is a 290-bed dually-certified 4-story facility located in a large city (the average size of a nursing home in the United States is 108 beds, according to data from Health, United States 2012, published by the National Center for Health Statistics). The facility operates at 92% occupancy, and only 15% of the residents have a private source of payment. In the past, the facility has had quality of care issues in the areas of diets and nutrition; practices in food preparation that may lead to contamination that could cause sickness; proper storage and dispensing of medications; and inadequate number, variety, and quality of recreational programs. Mona Sinclair was the RN leading the survey team for Bestcare’s annual survey. Mona used to be an RN employed by Bestcare, but she left voluntarily 3 years ago for family reasons. Jonathan Husky, the dietitian on the survey team was a consultant on contract for Bestcare, but last year he did not renew his consultancy contract. An LPN on the survey team was discharged from Bestcare approximately 2½ years ago for excessive absenteeism. Another member of the survey team had her mother as a resident in Bestcare, but she moved to a different facility 6 months ago.

Questions

1. What should be the composition of the survey team?

2. Do the four individuals identified in the case have a conflict of interest? Explain.

Answer 1

1. A survey team should always consists of two members, so that they can complement one anothers' strengths and weaknesses. At least one member should have considerable experience in the survey area. It is also essential that at least one member can understand the local people's language so that he can easily interact with people.

2. Conflict of Interest occurs when two or more contradictory interests relate to an activity through a person or an institution.

Yes, the four individuals identified in the case have a conflict of interest. The first person, Mona Sinclair had a conflict between Bestcare, where she was working and her family. Second person had a conflict between his job and renewal of his consultancy contract. As he was working as a consultant on contract for Bestcare, he needs to renew his consultancy contract. But he didn't renew his contract, so he had to left the organization. The third person had a conflict between his job and absenteeism. At last, the fourth member had a conflict between her job and her mother, as a resident in Bestcare. She was their because her mother was residing in Bestcare.