The role of data and analytics in enhancing care and compliance

Data in Australia’s aged care sector has long encountered fragmentation and incompleteness. Collection gaps hinder adequate assessment of resident and caregiver needs, and misalignment on best practice standards, definitions and applications exacerbate quality of life and care challenges.

There have, however, been notable improvements to the delivery of aged care since the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) was established. According to the Commission’s latest report, there has been a 34% decrease in the number of non-compliant services across the country’s aged care providers between Q2 and Q3 2022. Critically, however, many of those non-compliant services related to the delivery of personal and clinical care to residents.

Part of the Commission’s promising work in this space has been to improve the collection and analysis of provider performance data to improve care standards across the board. But with such rapid and sweeping changes to quality standards, it’s equally important that providers keep pace and operate integrated data systems that align with the reporting environment.

A look back: The new Quality Indicator Program for aged care services

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has had a massive and permanent impact on the industry.

Crucially for those directly concerned with upholding performance standards through data, the Royal Commission recommended, among the nine practical measures, an update to existing quality indicators (QI), a new star rating system for aged care homes, strengthened aged care Quality Standards, and a Code of Conduct for aged care providers and staff.

Together, these initiatives establish a nationally comparable set of quality indicator data, which spans the residential care services sector. And since July 2019, this program has played a huge role in improving care delivery and performance.

In practice, this has meant all aged care providers are required to submit five QIs every quarter to the regulator in order to monitor injuries, physical restraint, unplanned weight loss, falls and major injuries, and medication management among aged care residents.

But this is only the beginning. Both the Royal Commission and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have since acknowledged the continued inadequacy of the quality indicators in accurately identifying the extent of substandard aged care in Australia. So, the government has expanded the scope of the Quality Indicator Program from five to 11, requiring providers to report on the new quality indicators from this month (July 1, 2023).

Indeed, these revised quality indicators will provide a more comprehensive, nationally comparable data set to ensure best practice in one of our most vital community care sectors. However, it will also place further pressure on providers to improve data collection and analysis capabilities to keep pace with best practice.

Meet new requirements

Adopting a holistic approach that considers people, processes, data and technology allows organisations — across all sectors  — to unlock the potential of raw data, analyse it effectively and act upon the valuable insights derived from modern analytical capabilities.

But every workplace is different and faces different challenges in introducing data as part of its day-to-day practice. In healthcare settings, for example, clinicians and care providers are very often rushing between patients or residents, swapping notes between shifts or relying on very visual (or audio) cues to trigger action and response.

This means any data collection and analysis tool — especially those that must monitor adherence to regulatory best practice — must first suit the environment and user profile, and then consider accessibility and how to deliver clear and reportable findings across regulated metrics.

For aged care providers, this might look like continuous, visual and easily accessible data dashboards covering the 11 quality indicators around resident safety and quality. Such systems not only complement delivery of care by keeping caregivers informed of resident status, but also improve the handover and continuity of care between shifts and rosters.

Keeping pace with the change

Many aged care providers already operate live and intuitive dashboard technologies that provide caregivers with the streamlined and simple visualisations they need to do their jobs to the best possible standard. Dashboards simplify the interpretation of data and enable changes to shift patterns and reporting procedures, thus improving safety and enhancing the quality of care.

But considering the persistent and dramatic changes still occurring in the aged care sector, many providers are still playing catch-up.

In an era where aged care is becoming ever more critical to the sustainability of entire communities, data and analytics is surfacing as one of the industry’s most important lifelines.

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