Interoperability in Australian aged care: why it's essential for quality care

Australia’s older generation, aged 65 and over, numbered 4.2 million people in 2020. By 2057, that number is projected to more than double. Our future belongs to our senior Australians, yet our aged care system is alarmingly inadequate.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed systemic weaknesses, particularly in residential aged care homes. The Royal Commission Aged Care report in 2021 delved further into the issue. Citing limited access to support, lagging technology, poor governance, and ultimately substandard care, the report painted an accurate picture of the state of our aged care sector; it’s a disheartening read.

Everyone deserves respect, care, and dignity. To ensure we provide this as our senior population grows, our aged care system must grow with it. Future-proofing the Australian aged care sector begins with putting people first. And the best way to do that is by leveraging aged care data to inform quality, personalised care.

The state of technology in aged care

Technology is a key enabler of better healthcare — it underpins the aged care sector’s communication and business systems and the direct provision of care. Whether individuals receive support at home or in an aged care facility, evolutions in digital technology shape the care they receive.

In 2021, the Aged Care Royal Commission found that the Australian aged care system is well behind other sectors for research, innovation, and the use of new technologies. The report states that the Australian Government has often treated the sector as a lower order priority and has not received the investment necessary to ready it for the aging population.

While assistive technologies, linked IoT devices, improved telehealth services, and advancements in AI can improve the daily lives of our senior Australians, the effective management of data is the foundation for better care. Currently, aged care data is not being given the consideration it deserves.

The Royal Commission report supports this. It identified that the aged care system lacks a clear information and communications technology (ICT) strategy. Aged care providers and other healthcare organisations have not been able to access relevant data when they need it to support quality care. The report recommended government investment in ICT to enable better services through interoperability, standardisation, improvements in data quality, and the development of real-time and automated systems.

In response to the Royal Commission report, the Australian Government committed to investing $154 million over two years towards a major upgrade of aged care ICT to improve the reporting and sharing of information as part of a generational plan for aged care in Australia. Though this investment is promising, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the sector’s digitalisation, there’s still a long way to go.

Interoperability of systems

As of 2020, only 59 per cent of aged care operators were using electronic health records, with the remainder still relying on paper-based systems. On top of that, senior Australians are likely to use multiple services to meet their complex care needs — including private general practitioners, allied health professionals, and aged care support providers.

These different services may maintain their own clinical records, meaning the individual’s information is not shared completely and freely between services. If the person lives in an aged care facility, their data may be integrated with the facility’s records using outdated and inefficient means like fax machines, photocopying, or copying and pasting from an email. Though initiatives like My Health Record have attempted to standardise health-related data sharing to improve clinical workflows, aged care provider uptake of My Health Record remained low in 2021.

Regardless of where or how the information is recorded, the sector does not suffer from a lack of data. Medication prescriptions, clinical history, care plans, handover notes, and other essential information are stringently collected and stored. But due to the siloed nature of digital systems and the lack of agreed data exchange standards and protocols, the sector can’t use the data effectively. Though this data paradox affects businesses across all industries, the issue is far more pressing for aged care, where the use of data directly affects the lives of our seniors.

Different digital record storing systems need to be interoperable to facilitate the seamless and efficient sharing of information. Tools like secure cloud storage solutions and as-a-service offerings are invaluable for the aged care sector, giving providers the data they need when and where they need it — without time-poor staff having to spend time managing complex systems. Improved data sharing is vital to inform the sector’s research, resource management, and regulation; however, it best serves our seniors when leveraged for their immediate care. If record-keeping systems were connected and all data was accessible in real-time — aged care providers could meet the needs of each unique individual and offer the highest quality of care possible.

Interoperable systems can improve care in numerous ways: they reduce the risk of communication errors, save time, and maintain patient privacy by cutting the need for clinical staff to update records. Crucially, they give care nurses, support workers, and health providers the up-to-date data they need to quickly assess an individual’s needs and deliver person-centred care. Ultimately, better data sharing means improved quality of life for our seniors and optimal outcomes.

Respect, care, dignity

Prioritising the respect, care, and dignity of our older Australians means valuing the information we collect from them and using it to their best advantage. Improving the availability and reliability of clinical data through the interoperability of digital systems will deliver better outcomes for older Australians. By leveraging the power of aged care data, we can improve the current level of service while ensuring our aged care sector can weather the challenges of our aging population.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Framestock