Background: As technology proliferation into aged care sector continues at a rapid pace, there is value in exploring the role of innovative technologies to facilitate palliative and End of Life (EOL) care. The ELDAC Digital Dashboard was developed in 2019 and integrated into the clinical data management systems of four Aged Care IT companies. As the Dashboard became available for the aged care sector, we sought to understand the feasibility of its use and value in the Australian aged care setting
Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the merit and acceptability of the ELDAC Digital Dashboard.
Method: Aged care services with access to Dashboard were invited to take part in a three-month implementation evaluation trial. Each site was provided with an implementation support package which included: a dedicate Dashboard champion at each site, study team led dashboard training on dashboard use, Dashboard use guide and FAQs, and ongoing support to the site champion by the study team. Focus groups/interviews were held with nurses at each site before (pre-sessions) and after (post-sessions) the trial period.
Results:
Total of seventy (n=70) staff participated in the pre-sessions, and n=42 participated in the post-sessions; from fourteen residential aged care facilities. Participants included RNs, ENs, CNCs, managers and careworkers. Qualitative findings indicated that the Dashboard was easy to use and helped nurses organise EOL care. Despite the challenging practice environment of aged care reform and time and resource constraints within facilities, the role of the dashboard in facilitating family conversations and enabling early EOL planning was valued. While variability in technology readiness was apparent and differences in how services used systems, the Dashboard filled a gap by providing both clinical and managerial utility.
Conclusion: The use of ELDAC Digital Dashboard is feasible, acceptable, and value adding in the Australian residential aged care setting.