ALERT
Anticipatory Long-Term care Electronic Resident Triage (ALERT) Tool for Canadian Long-term Care Homes
Start/End Dates: 2016 - 2017
Investigators:
Dr. Michelle Grinman, University of Calgary, East Toronto Health Link (PI)
Dr. Greta Cummings, University of Alberta (Co-PI)
Tracey Human, Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultants
Lismi Kallan, University of Toronto, Sienna Senior Living
Daile Moffat, Sienna Senior Living
Dr. Andrew LS Patullo, University of Calgary
Dr. Aynharan Sinnarajah, University of Calgary
Dr. Hannah Wong, York University
Dr. Robert Wu, University of Toronto
Dr. Irene Ying, University of Toronto, East Toronto Health Link
Philippa Welch, Sienna Senior Living
Stuart Feldman, PointClickCare
Funder: Canadian Frailty Network (CFN) 2015 Catalyst Grant
Grant Amount: $99,976
Description:Anticipatory Long-term care Electronic Resident Triage (ALERT) Tool for Canadian Long-Term Care homes is a pilot study to implement and modify the Electronic Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (e-INTERACT) tool in order to develop a tool that is adapted to Canadian long-term care homes.
Needs assessments and literature reviews have identified the need for standardized tools to proactively identify Long-Term Care Home residents at risk of decline and a requirement for staff capacity-building particularly for end-of-life care (EOLC) - to help prevent avoidable hospitalizations. E-INTERACT is a set of tools and processes designed for long-term care homes in the United States to address these needs, and have been demonstrated to reduce acute care hospitalizations.
As there is there is no equivalent tool in Canada, the e-INTERACT tool will be adapted for use in this pilot study. The purpose of this pilot intervention study is to assess feasibility and proof of principle. We will compare outcomes following the introduction the e-INTERACT tool with retrospective outcomes.
Our aim is to determine whether ALERT reduces potentially avoidable hospitalizations. The primary outcome will determine whether ALERT appropriately identifies residents at risk of ED transfer and/or death within 3 months.
