| Project Summary:
The Residential Care Project is being conducted by the Brisbane North Division of General Practice and is fully funded by the Australian Divisions of General Practice, National Innovations Funding Pool (Round Two). The Project commenced in 2000 and the final report will be submitted in December 2002.
The project is testing the following hypothesis:
Increasing GP involvement in Residential Aged Care Facilities (in part by use of GP-administered, comprehensive GP "Assessment of Resident's Health" form for high-level residential care patients, followed by GP involvement in residents' case-conferencing and care planning) will improve the following:
- Patient health outcomes, satisfaction and quality of life
- GP satisfaction
- Residential Aged Care Facility staff satisfaction
- Residents' carers/family members satisfaction
- Cost-effectiveness of health services
34 Residential Aged Care Facilities and 95 GPs in the Brisbane North Division of General Practice have taken part in the Residential Care Project. The facilities were divided into control and intervention groups.
Consent was gained for 452 residents to participate, of which 206 were in the control group and 246 were in the intervention group.
Baseline data collection is now complete. This included face-to-face interviews with the Director of Nursing, a Registered Nurse chosen at random, and an Assistant-in-nursing chosen at random, at every facility. The structured interviews were designed to measure a number of elements, including satisfaction with current procedures. Baseline quantitative data was also collected at every facility, including details of hospital admissions.
Registered Nurses completed 390 baseline questionnaires about individual residents' health status. 95 GPs completed baseline surveys relating to their satisfaction with all aspects of residential care.
The intervention phase of the Project is also completed. Of the 246 patients in the intervention group, GPs completed 198 Assessments of Resident's Health.
The post-intervention stage of the Project is now under-way and is due to finish mid-October. Registered Nurses in all facilities are currently completing the post-intervention questionnaires about individual residents' health status. Questionnaires have also been received from 164 families/friends of residents, outlining their views on the medical care provided at the facility. A special version of this survey was sent to the families/friends of the 77 residents who died during the intervention phase of the Project.
GPs will also be asked to complete a post-intervention survey asking about their satisfaction with all aspects of residential care. The post-intervention stage will also include readministering the face-to-face questionnaires at the 34 facilities. The final element of this stage is the collection of data from the HIC.
The final stage, from mid-October to December 2002, will be the analysis of the data. Baseline date will be compared to post-intervention data and control data with intervention data.
It is hoped that this rich data will guide the Division in future activities and also provide an evidence base for the involvement of GPs in health assessments, care-plans and case conferences for their patients in residential care.
A complete abstract will be provided on the conclusion of this project in mid December 2002.
Email: bndgp@bndgp.com.au
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