The Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC) is an internationally researched assessment tool used by case managers to assess frail elderly and disabled individuals in the community. Benefit of the tool is maximized when used in an electronic format that generates outcome measures and assessment protocols to inform care planning and client outcome evaluation. In Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, mandated implementation of the RAI-HC tools and the supporting software was completed by 2006.
Implementation of this assessment tool was a significant change in practice. For most clinicians this assessment was also the first introduction to an electronic client record and to charting at point of care. Numerous barriers exist which challenge the adoption of the tool into clinical practice. Capitalizing on our health authority’s ability to extract assessment data, an opportunity was created to initiate site-specific sharing of aggregate RAI-HC data and open dialogue regarding use and meaning of RAI outputs in clinical practice. This team approach supports integration and promotes data quality by empowering clinicians to use RAI data in clinical decision-making. The presentation will detail this innovative decision support strategy used to instill confidence in the tool by increasing relevance, utility and ownership of the information. Feedback received, lessons learned, processes developed, and next steps regarding ongoing support for integration will also be shared.
Biography
Teresa Coles, RN, BSN has worked in the United States and Canada in Acute, Ambulatory, and Community Settings. Her experience with process improvements, choosing and transitioning to an electronic health record system, staff education, and policy development are consistent with RAI-HC needs. As part of the interdisciplinary RAI–HC team her clinical consultant role is to promote best practice in the use of RAI-HC tools across Vancouver Coastal Health. She liaises with the Provincial RAI Working Group, directors, managers, clinical educators, case managers, and leaders of community initiatives in order to develop clinically sound process changes with appropriate managerial support.
Mary Ann Masesar, RN BN is the Clinical Educator of the InterRAI MDS Project Team at Vancouver Coastal Health in British Columbia.
