Since 2009, federal regulations for nursing homes (NHs) have supported “person-centered care” through provisions related to resident quality of life and environment. More recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have proposed regulatory revisions which specifically promote residents’ rights to direct their own care plans and exercise control over their daily lives. Moving toward this “person -directed ” model of care planning and delivery requires the engagement and involvement of all stakeholders, from residents and families to direct-care staff and management. This paper presents a qualitative study which used stakeholder engagement methodology to define and operationalize person-directed care planning, identifying critical elements, facilitators/barriers, and outcomes. Reflecting the growing emphasis on stakeholder engagement in health-care research, this methodology helped ensure that the study generated relevant and actionable evidence that NHs will be able to use to implement the upcoming federal directives around person-directed care planning.
