Implementing and Evaluating the Impact of Interprofessional Health Needs Assessment (IHNA) for Older Adults Living at Home
Description: Popular science description: Early identification of health needs among home-dwelling elderly individuals is crucial for maintaining health and function, improving quality of life, and preventing hospitalizations. When allocating municipal health and care services, healthcare personnel must assess functional abilities and health needs. Based on this assessment, services such as emergency alarms, everyday rehabilitation, home nursing care, practical assistance at home, and assistive devices are assigned. However, there is no standardized approach to what should be included in these assessments or how they should be conducted. This project aims to develop a standardized interdisciplinary health needs assessment (IHNA) to assist healthcare personnel in systematically identifying and addressing the health needs of home-dwelling elderly individuals. By emphasizing what is important to the individual, IHNA integrates the values and preferences of the elderly into the assessment, ensuring that interventions and services align with their priorities. IHNA incorporates validated tools to evaluate vitality by measuring physical, cognitive, psychological, social, and behavioral health functions. The project involves co-creation of IHNA with healthcare personnel, elderly individuals, and their relatives, training in the effective use of IHNA, and implementation in two Norwegian municipalities through a randomized controlled trial. The project will examine the effects of IHNA on health-related quality of life, healthcare utilization, and evaluate cost-effectiveness. By developing interdisciplinary practices for assessing health needs and supporting healthcare personnel with tools and training, the project will help municipalities provide fairer and more effective services to home-dwelling elderly individuals. The long-term goal is to scale IHNA for use in municipalities across Norway, reducing variability in service allocation and promoting successful aging at home.
Project summary: The project aims to implement and evaluate an interprofessional Health Needs Assessment (IHNA) for older adults living at home in two municipalities in Norway. IHNA is designed to systematically identify unmet health and care needs, supporting independent living and enhancing quality of life. It addresses the need for early detection of health needs through interprofessional preventive approaches. Current methods like IPLOS are criticized for variability and subjectivity, leading to inconsistent service allocation. The project refines the HNA procedure by integrating validated measurements of physical, cognitive, psychological, social, and behavioral health functions, such as the Short Physical Performance Battery, Mini-Cog test, General Depression Scale, Loneliness Scale, AUDIT-4, and Clinical Frailty Scale. The project involves co-designing the IHNA with stakeholders, training healthcare professionals, and conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate its effectiveness. The study will measure outcomes including quality of life, survival, health service use, and cost-effectiveness. It will explore how IHNA influences interprofessional collaboration, decision-making, and implementation at micro, meso, and macro levels. The social innovation framework guides the project, viewing HNA as a process that transforms routines, resources, and decision-making in the healthcare system. Key deliverables include best practices for IHNA, peer-reviewed publications, broad dissemination in the municipal sector, and guidelines for adapting and scaling IHNA across Norway. The project addresses knowledge gaps in sustainable public health, aims to reduce service delivery inequalities, and supports healthy aging. This collaborative approach fosters ownership among healthcare professionals, enhancing their motivation and engagement, ultimately promoting a more consistent and fair allocation of health services for older adults.
Teaser: Early identification of health needs among home-dwelling elderly individuals is crucial for maintaining health and function, improving quality of life, and preventing hospitalizations. When allocating municipal health and care services, healthcare personnel must assess functional abilities and he...
Disciplines: [["Medisin og helsefag", "Helsefag", "Helsetjeneste-, helseadmforskning"]]
Geographies: [["Rogaland", "Stavanger"]]
Funder: Norges Forskningsråd
Amount: NOK 16,000,000
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: KSFF-KSFF
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Investigator: Marianne Storm
Institution: UNIVERSITETET I STAVANGER
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: rcn-foriss-355225
OpenAlex ID: G5870523384