Sites Selected for Testing New Health Assessment Tool

Four Nova Scotia nursing homes will test a new assessment tool that should lead to improved care for nursing home residents.

Nova Scotia is the first province east of Ontario to test the Resident Assessment Instrument, or RAI 2.0.

The facilities chosen to participate in the demonstration project are: Evergreen Home for Special Care in Kentville; Willow Lodge in Tatamagouche; St. Vincent's Guest Home in Halifax; and Seaview Manor in Glace Bay.

"Field testing the new assessment tool is an exciting initiative that will allow Nova Scotians to determine its benefits in the province's long-term care sector," said Health Minister Jamie Muir. "We're committed to a health care system focused on evidence-based decision making."

The standardized assessment tool is used after a resident is admitted to a nursing home. The tool combines nursing questionnaires and a software package that interprets the data.

The data has many potential benefits including helping nursing homes to determine the needs of residents and monitor their progress. It also has the potential to give the Department of Health the information it needs to better manage and deliver long-term care services.

The demonstration project was first announced in December. Nursing homes were invited to submit proposals for consideration if they wanted to participate in the initiative.

The demonstration sites are expected to begin in April and be completed by December 2000.

The cost of implementing the project is estimated at $115,000. The funding is allocated in this year's health budget, part of the government's promise to explore new information systems.

InterRai, which developed the assessment tool, is a non-profit consortium of more than 30 university-based researchers from around the world.