Dr Stephanie Champion
Research Fellow, ARIIA
Evidence is key for effective, innovative, health care practice and informed decision making. More than ever the Australian aged care sector needs evidence-based innovative solutions, to deliver cost-efficient care to meet the growing needs of an ageing population with complex needs and minimise the workloads of aged care workers.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is defined as ‘an approach to care that integrates the best available research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values.’ [1] The promotion of EBP requires infrastructure and practitioners who support the implementation of evidence-based initiatives. The aged care industry has been comparatively slow to innovate. [2] Complex challenges, such as the shifting needs and expectations of multiple stakeholders, rising costs, and increasing regulatory pressure, among others, have been identified as barriers to innovation.
Moving forward, developing new ways of working now is vital for the long-term sustainability of the industry [3] and to take advantage of new opportunities, such as rapidly evolving technology. [2] The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety highlighted the lack of strategy for implementing translational research outputs into practice while recognising that current funding structures fail to support providers who want to innovate. [4]
ARIIA’s Innovator Training Program (ITP) offers a practical pathway towards developing skills in designing implementable projects. Through the ITP, Innovators gain the knowledge and skills to implement innovative, evidence-based change in their setting.
A recent ITP project has achieved positive outcomes through engagement with the ITP. A clinical nurse from Round 1 of the ITP aims to implement an early intervention screening tool for delirium in residential care settings. Through ARIIA, she was connected with a research partner who has been able to help them find a screening tool and plan a pilot. According to this innovator, ‘I obviously came into the [ITP] not knowing how to even do a project or where to start… it's definitely given me like a base knowledge. I'd feel comfortable to start my own little project and know sort of the processes to make and ensure that it's evidence based and that I was on the right track with it.’
Are you working in the aged care sector and have a problem in your workplace? Do you need support to find a solution? The free Innovator Training Program is designed to provide you or your team with tools and skills to use available knowledge and evidence to solve a problem in your workplace.
If you’re interested in becoming an Innovator, please visit our webpage for more information: https://www.ariia.org.au/programs/innovator-training-program. While you’re there, check out our Innovator Essential Series mini-courses and get a sneak peek into our complete Innovator Training Program!
*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.