The Nursing Home Behavior Problem Scale.

Nursing home patients frequently have serious disturbances of behavior that can lead to use of chemical or physical restraints. To support research into better management of these problems, we developed the Nursing Home Behavior Problem Scale (NHBPS), a 29-item inventory of serious behavior problems designed to be completed by nurses and nursing assistants. NHBPS scores were obtained for two samples of nursing home residents: 431 in Tennessee and 122 in Texas. The interrater correlation was .754 in the Tennessee sample and .827 in the Texas sample. The NHBPS had a correlation of -.747 with the NOSIE scale and .911 with the CMAI. There was a pronounced association of increased NHBPS scores with mental impairment and use of sedative drugs or restraints. These data suggest the NHBPS is a useful research instrument for measuring serious behavior problems in nursing home residents.