Description

Early identification of health needs among home-dwelling elderly adults is crucial for maintaining health and function, improving quality of life, and preventing hospitalizations. When allocating municipal health and care services, healthcare professionals 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 develops a procedure for interprofessional health needs assessment (IHNA) to systematically identify and address the health needs of older adults living at home. IHNA integrates the older adult's values and preferences into the assessment, ensuring that interventions and services align with their priorities. IHNA incorporates screening tools to provide a structured, holistic assessment of health and social domains.

The project involves co-creation of IHNA with healthcare professionals and older adults, workplace training in the effective use of IHNA, and implementation in two Norwegian municipalities through a randomized controlled trial.

By developing interprofessional practices for assessing health needs and equipping healthcare professionals with screening tools and training, the project will help municipalities provide fairer, more effective services to home-dwelling older adults.