​​Dr Janine Margarita Dizon​

​​Research Fellow (Knowledge & Implementation Hub)
Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia, Flinders University

​​The Knowledge and Implementation Hub (the Hub) formed a User Reference Group (URG) to understand how its users access and use information, as well as provide feedback on improving the Hub. URG members represented user groups including aged care providers, allied health professionals, nurses, care workers, older people and their families/carers. Two online meetings were held in 2023.

​The conversations in our first meeting were on these three key themes: sources of information, accessing online information, and challenges and enablers in accessing and using information.

​We found URG members search various information sources, including the Internet, social media platforms, traditional (paper-based) and training sessions. Web-based sources included search engines (Google) and websites of trusted organisations (i.e., Dementia Training Australia). When brief information is required, some URG members prefer social media platforms (i.e., Facebook), with textbooks, professional development programs or training/education sessions, and personal communication with supervisors or leaders being other information sources. Managers, Allied Health professionals and nurses working in facilities access online information using computers or laptops. Community and care workers use their mobile phones to access online information.

​Challenges in accessing online information sources were also discussed. We found that an overwhelming choice of available information, poor/unstable Internet connections, and database subscriptions are common barriers to access. At point-of-care, availability of the supervisor for consultation and the limited to a lack of practical guidance on 'how to do the work' were seen as challenges, especially in remote care settings. These challenges, if addressed, can turn into enablers.

​We discussed three key themes in our second meeting: the Hubs positive features, interactive challenges and recommendations for improvement.

​URG members liked the Hub's appearance, with a clean, clear webpage structure that conveys positive ageing in featured imagery. The Hub is perceived as an excellent source of evidence-based information about Australian aged care, considering the complexity of the work without being prescriptive. It has a diverse collection of credible resources specific to the different roles of the aged care worker. Members also reported the Hub as having a user-friendly interface (navigation and information flow) and can be accessed using different device types (i.e., desktops, tablets and mobile phones). However, usability and navigation of pages can be quite challenging if a person is not used to the structure of the Hub.

​Improving the Hub user experience requires tailoring the content to the setting and practice for aged care workers' specific role in providing care. URG members recommended interactive toolkits, outcome measures lists, curation of commonly asked questions (and their answers) and improvements to search and functionality.

​Our URG members are valued contributors, who continually help us improve the Hub through their feedback. We are reviewing the Hub, its relationship with the wider ARIIA organisation and its stakeholders, and the improvements to be prioritised. We aim to give our users the best information and user experience suited to their needs.

*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.

​​Christy Hunt

Workforce Development Project Manager​, ELDAC Project

​​Managing risk and providing services that allow the resident to lead a self-determined and self-fulfilling life can sometimes be challenging for staff. The ELDAC Managing Risk Toolkit has been designed for health professionals and care staff providing palliative care and advance care planning for older people living in residential care with advanced life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers. It provides information and guidance on managing risk at the end of life for people living in residential aged care and their families.

​The Managing Risk Toolkit comprises a series of resources that aim to build understanding and capability to improve the end-of-life experiences of aged care residents. Related resources cover the topics of Nutrition and Hydration, Medication Management and Transfers of residents between care settings and towards the end of life.

​The Toolkit resource has been informed by a review of contemporary Australian and international literature including authoritative sources on the Australian policy, legal and practice environment. Additionally, nurses from different aged care settings participated in three focus groups offering their perspectives, with experts from within the ELDAC network then reviewing the Toolkit content.

​Effective governance and risk management are critical to safe, effective, appropriate and quality aged care. Aged care providers are expected to identify, manage and continuously review risks to aged care consumers and others - including maintaining a risk management system. The ELDAC Managing Risk Toolkit provides resources to help staff to:

• ​Identify and assess potential risks,
• ​Respond to and monitor identified risks,
• ​Record and then report risks.

​Working in residential aged care and clinical governance requires understanding and using your organisation’s risk management system and ensuring the system guides your practice. This creates a connected, inclusive, holistic approach to risk management across the organisation. While the risks to residents at the end of life may change in the palliative care context, the systems and governance to support risk management will not.

*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.

Dr Priyanka Vandersman

Senior Research Fellow, ELDAC Project
Member of Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death, and Dying, Flinders University​

​​Globally, digital transformation has been sweeping through healthcare in recent years and Australia’s health and social care landscape is also undergoing rapid digitalisation. The Australian Government's National Digital Health Strategy 2023-2028, [1] along with its corresponding Delivery Roadmap, [2] outlines several key initiatives aimed at fostering a digitally empowered care environment within aged care. Significant systemic and policy-level shifts including the Aged Care digital transformation agenda, the national interoperability plan, and the integration of My Health Records into aged care clinical systems are driving a digitally enabled aged care environment. 

​However, this systemic upliftment of digital infrastructure and systems is unfolding against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving care and regulatory landscape. The recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care 2020 have ushered in significant changes to the aged care sector, including the revision of the Aged Care Act of 1997, the strengthening of Aged Care Quality Standards, and the introduction of additional mandatory reporting requirements. Simultaneous transformation of the digital, care, and regulatory realms presents challenges for the sector in keeping pace with the rapid changes. 

​The latest Report on the digital maturity of aged and community care [3] highlights the ongoing need to enhance the digital maturity of the sector and identifies opportunities for innovation and improving staff's digital readiness. Amidst these changes, it is imperative to remember that the intent of changes both during and arising from the changes in the digital and regulatory spheres, is quality care for clients and residents. As a sector, we need to look at how we can optimize innovations that align with regulatory changes, and which alleviate current and future challenges. 

​At the core of digitally connected care lies quality data. While a considerable portion of the aged care workforce utilizes digital approaches for data collection, entry, or use, there is still much to explore in terms of data integration and transformation to support care. Changes are underway in the aged care data landscape with the adoption of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and the development of the National Aged Care Minimum Dataset [METEOR]. [4] What is needed are innovative solutions that are not only effective today but also future-ready, designed to facilitate the sector in providing high-quality care by harnessing the power of technology to meet upcoming regulatory and reporting requirements. 

​Developing digital solutions must address work practices in meaningful ways, consider the reporting requirements for services, and enable access to real-time data. The ELDAC project is looking at how to support palliative care and care at the end of life in the aged care sector. As part of this work, we have designed and tested a palliative care dashboard, that aligns with the pending revised Aged Care standards and with the definitions of the aged care minimum data set. By enabling IT providers to map, extend, and/or integrate their existing data capture, the dashboard offers care providers an evidence-based framework that uses their data to inform care delivery and service review and reporting. The dashboard showcases how the concurrent evolution of the digital and regulatory landscape can be leveraged to support innovation and outcomes in the sector. 

​To find out more about the ELDAC Digital Dashboard, please email eldac.project@flinders.edu.au 

*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.