| Title | Report 1: The interRAI evaluation. The exploration of the interRAI training programme implemented across five District Health Boards in New Zealand |
| Publication Type | Report |
| Year of Publication | 2007 |
| Authors | Weidenbohm K, Parsons M, Dixon R, Keeling S, Senior H, Brandt T |
| Tertiary Authors | Auckland TUniversity |
| Series Title | The interRAI evaluation |
| Pagination | 119 |
| City | Report to the Ministry of Health, New Zealand Government. |
| Abstract | Implementation of a systematic approach to comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in New Zealand has been identified as a priority. InterRAI, a collaboration of international gerontologists and clinicians, has developed and validated a range of assessment tools for older people. Given the merits of the interRAI suite of Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment tools, a number of countries have adopted this approach. The MDS-Home Care (MDS-HC) is a well-validated CGA for assessing the needs of older people. Five District Health Boards (Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hutt Valley, Capital & Coast and Canterbury) participated in a trial implementation of the MDS-HC assessment tool in a variety of clinical settings. The Universities of Auckland and Otago were commissioned to conduct an evaluation on the trial implementation on behalf of The Ministry of Health. One component of this evaluation was to explore the effectiveness of the MDS-HC training programme implemented during the course of the trial. The selected training model was based on a train-the-trainer approach, using a group of super-users, trained to use the MDS-HC by two overseas trainers. The latter group of super-users subsequently went on to train other assessors at their local DHBs.The findings suggest assessors and super-users viewed the train-the-trainer approach as useful. However, both groups seemed to identify the need for improvements to ensure new skills can be applied to the practice setting. Learning a new assessment instrument requires more time and support after the formal training sessions and a ‘practical’ approach is important. Given the variability between assessors detected in this study, further investigation into training methods is advisable to ensure that high quality, consistent and accurate assessments are achieved. |
| Reseach Notes | LG KF |
| Custom 4 |
