Nova Scotia Completes Test on New Health Assessment Tool

A new assessment package has been endorsed for use by Nova Scotia's nursing homes.

The Department of Health has completed its test of a new software tool called Resident Assessment Instrument 2.0 (RAI 2.0). It is designed to appropriately define patients' needs based on evidence collected through ongoing monitoring.

"This tool will not only help nursing homes plan resident care, but will also help government allocate resources based on highly accurate information," said Health Minister Jamie Muir.

The new standardized assessment tool is used after a resident is admitted to a nursing home. It combines nursing questionnaires and a software package that interprets the data. Announced in December 1999, the demonstration project evaluated the software in four nursing homes around the province.

"The staff at the four nursing homes using the software found it was a great help in determining how care is planned for individual residents, and all four homes have chosen to continue using it," said Mr. Muir.

The tool potentially offers many benefits, including the ability to help nursing homes to:

• ensure that residents' needs are appropriately defined and that care plans are accurate;
• ensure that care plans are made on the most accurate information possible;
• help evaluate care plans for residents; and
• monitor residents' progress so care plans can be adjusted accordingly.

The Department of Health is encouraging nursing homes to consider adopting RAI 2.0 as their resources and priorities permit.

The minister thanked the staff of the four nursing homes for their hard work in evaluating the new software. Nova Scotia was the first province in Atlantic Canada to test this software.