Edinburgh Napier University

  Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for reliable, real time data on the care of older people. We aimed to identify current data availability, challenges, and priorities for future research and innovations in Care Homes.
Methods: Scoping fieldwork in six Lothian (Scotland) Care Homes included (a) ‘audit’ of all data items currently collected through paper or electronic care planning and (b) interviews with care home man-agers to discuss (i) availability /use of data; (ii) gaps; (iii) digitalcapabilities; and (iv) priorities for future research.
Results: All homes collected data routinely on dependency, nutrition, weight, falls, pressure sores and infections, and as required onwounds, frailty, bowels or fluid intake. Other data items are alsorecorded (e.g. pain, sleep, observations) that can identify changes inresidents’ condition in real time. There was significant variation between homes in recording processes and assessment tools. Data are often used as ‘standalone’ pieces of information rather than creating a holistic/longitudinal view of each resident. Priorities for future research included standardising documentation, recording non-care tasks, identifying change in residents’ condition, and supporting staff.
Key conclusions: Care homes can be data heavy, but there is significant heterogeneity in the data, and it is mostly used to direct immediate resident care. There is an opportunity for a National Care Home Data Platform, with strong foundations. This is essential to: provide a robust data source for policy and planning; enable real time digital connectivity between care homes and health & social care providers; and inform future innovative technologies.