Stacey Hassall

Malnutrition prevalence and nutrition issues in residential aged care facilities

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition and investigate nutritional issues in a sample of older people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

Benchmarking Clinical Indicators of Quality for Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities

To undertake exploratory benchmarking of a set of clinical indicators of quality care in residential care in Australia, data were collected from 107 residents within four medium-sized facilities (40-80 beds) in Brisbane, Australia. The proportion of residents in each sample facility with a particular clinical problem was compared with US Minimum Data Set quality indicator thresholds. Results demonstrated variability within and between clinical indicators, suggesting breadth of assessment using various clinical indicators of quality is an important factor when monitoring quality of care. More comprehensive and objective measures of quality of care would be of great assistance in determining and monitoring the effectiveness of residential aged care provision in Australia, particularly as demands for accountability by consumers and their families increase.

Clinical outcomes in residential care :Setting benchmarks for quality

Aim:  Australian residential aged care does not have a system of quality assessment related to clinical outcomes, or comprehensive quality benchmarking. The Residential Care Quality Assessment was developed to fill this gap; and this paper discusses the process by which preliminary benchmarks representing high and low quality were developed for it.