Data sharing between home care professionals: a feasibility study using the RAI Home Care instrument

Abstract

BackgroundAcross Ontario, home care professionals collect standardized information on each client using the Resident Assessment for Home Care (RAI-HC). However, this information is not consistently shared with those professionals who provide services in the client’s home. In this pilot study, we examined the feasibility of sharing data, from the RAI-HC, between care coordinators and service providers.MethodsAll participants were involved in a one-day training session on the RAI-HC. The care coordinators shared specific outputs from the RAI-HC, including the embedded health index scales, with their contracted physiotherapy and occupational therapy service providers. Two focus groups were held, one with care coordinators (n = 4) and one with contracted service providers (n = 6). They were asked for their opinions on the positive aspects of the project and areas for improvement.ResultsThe focus groups revealed a number of positive outcomes related to the project including the use of a falls prevention brochure and an increased level of communication between professionals. The participants also cited multiple areas for improvement related to data sharing (e.g., time constraints, data being sent in a timely fashion) and to their standard practices in the community (e.g., busy workloads, difficulties in data sharing, duplication of assessments between professionals).ConclusionsHome care professionals were able to share select pieces of information generated from the RAI-HC system and this project enhanced the level of communication between the two groups of professionals. However, a single information session was not adequate training for the rehabilitation professionals, who do not use the RAI-HC as part of normal practice. Better education, ongoing support and timely access to the RAI-HC data are some ways to improve the usefulness of this information for busy home care providers.

Home-Care Nurses’ Experiences of Caring for Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Urinary Incontinence: An Interpretive Description Study

“…The interRAI home-care assessment is also used across Canada, Europe, some states in the United States, and the Asia-Pacific Rim (Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand; Morris et al, 2012;Salahudeen & Nishtala, 2019). Other research has demonstrated the feasibility and usefulness of sharing interRAI home-care assessments in improving interprofessional communication and potentially decreasing assessment duplication and workload (Guthrie et al, 2014). The absence of an integrated health record and supportive health information technology negatively influences system capacity to meet the needs of older adults with multiple chronic conditions (Grembowski et al, 2014).…”

Developing the Patient Falls Risk Report: A Mixed-Methods Study on Sharing Falls-Related Clinical Information from Home Care with Primary Care Providers

“…The Patient Falls Risk Report is a one-page report that was originally designed by the researchers of this study with knowledge from preliminary research and the Behaviour Change Wheel theoretical framework (Guthrie et al, 2014; Michie, Atkins, & West, 2014; Nova, Zarrin, & Heckman, 2020a, 2020b). It relays information derived from the interRAI-HC assessment about home care client falls risk, particularly if the client is at moderate or high risk of future falls.…”

“…Recipients would then schedule an appointment with the patient to discuss their results, collect missing information, and develop a care plan, as would be expected in normal primary care practice. Since falls are highly preventable with timely screening and assessment, we believed that sharing the report with primary care providers in a usable, actionable, and context-appropriate manner could enhance falls-related care planning (Guthrie et al, 2014; Nova et al, 2020b; Stolee et al, 2010). The purpose of this study was to develop and test the usability of the Patient Falls Risk Report for sharing clinical information from home care to primary care in partnership with primary care providers.…”

Integrating a Standardized Self-Report Tool into Geriatric Medicine Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…However, previous research has noted health care professionals' reluctance to change assessment practices to include standardized instruments and/or self-report tools, because of a preference and comfort with current practices (Giosa, Stolee, & Holyoke, 2021;Guthrie et al, 2014;Nova, Zarrin, & Heckman, 2020b). Therefore, the overall goal of this study was to implement the interRAI Check-Up into SGS care pathways to remotely assess older adults during the pandemic, and to evaluate the impact of the implementation.…”