George A Heckman, Micaela Jantzi, John P Hirdes, Amanda Nova, Jacobi Elliott, Samir Sinha
{"title":"Building a Rational Clinical Information System for Older Adults in Acute Care: The Role of the interRAI Acute Care Suite.","authors":"George A Heckman, Micaela Jantzi, John P Hirdes, Amanda Nova, Jacobi Elliott, Samir Sinha","doi":"10.1177/08404704251389449","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251389449","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prior research has identified gaps in the ability of hospital systems to efficiently and meaningfully characterize older adults with complex health needs. We recruited community-dwelling older adults presenting to 10 Emergency Departments (EDs) across Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland, Canada, from April 2017 to July 2018. We deployed a staged assessment strategy based on the interRAI Acute Care Suite to identify and characterize older adults at high risk of Alternate Level of Care designation. More than 5,700 patients underwent the ED-Screener, 53.3% of whom were not self-reliant. Subsequent focused screening and assessment identified 457 patients, 93.3% of whom were not self-reliant, and who had significant impairments in function, mobility, and cognition, as well as social vulnerability. A staged assessment approach based upon the interRAI Acute Care Suite can efficiently identify older adults with risk factors for Alternative Level of Care designation.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"141-148"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876408/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145379120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brigette Meehan, Mary James, Bonnie A Pearson, John P Hirdes
{"title":"Educational Approaches for Successful Implementation of interRAI Assessment Systems.","authors":"Brigette Meehan, Mary James, Bonnie A Pearson, John P Hirdes","doi":"10.1177/08404704251390312","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251390312","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Data from routine interRAI assessments can inform healthcare decisions at individual, organizational, and system levels. A well-designed, sustainable education strategy for all target audiences is essential to support both implementation and ongoing use of interRAI systems. Instructional design strategies and considerations for developing an educational program are described, as well as specific delivery suggestions for three audiences: (1) interRAI assessors who complete accurate assessments or coordinate them within teams; (2) clinicians who utilize interRAI assessment outcomes without conducting the assessments themselves; and (3) end users such as administrators, officials, and researchers who use interRAI data for management, governance, service delivery, performance measurement, policy, and research.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"114-120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876433/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145483185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andrew P Costa, Michaella Miller, Colleen Webber, Darly Dash, Luke Turcotte, Aaron Jones, Arthur Sweetman
{"title":"The OnSPARK LTC Data Platform: Leveraging interRAI to Build a Learning Health System for Long-Term Care.","authors":"Andrew P Costa, Michaella Miller, Colleen Webber, Darly Dash, Luke Turcotte, Aaron Jones, Arthur Sweetman","doi":"10.1177/08404704251392810","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251392810","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Long-Term Care (LTC) in Canada faces persistent challenges in quality, staffing, and accountability. InterRAI assessment instruments, used nationally and internationally, provide validated scales, quality indicators, and care planning tools that support evidence-based resident assessment. Yet, their potential has been limited by delayed access, facility-level aggregation, and lack of integration with workforce and operational data. OnSPARK (Ontario Supporting Partnerships to Advance Care and Knowledge in Long-Term Care) addresses this gap as Canada's largest sector-governed LTC data platform. By integrating de-identified interRAI assessments, electronic health records, and staffing data from more than 200 Ontario homes, OnSPARK delivers unit-level analytics, near real-time performance reporting, and a secure environment for embedded research and artificial intelligence development. This article describes how OnSPARK enables interRAI to function as the backbone of a learning health system in LTC, advancing unit-level reporting, workforce-outcome linkages, artificial intelligence-enabled tools, and collaboratives such as the Seniors Quality Leap Initiative.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"178-184"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876429/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146044079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Care Planning Across the Health System: Intersectoral Application of the interRAI Assessment System.","authors":"Connie Schumacher, Margaret Saari, Melissa Northwood, Fabrice Mowbray, Chantelle Mensink, Michelle Heyer, Kasia Bail, Grace Pyatt","doi":"10.1177/08404704251370371","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251370371","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Older adults living with frailty and multimorbidity interact with multiple care providers and health settings, resulting in fragmented care and information discontinuity. Standardized assessments potentiate integrated care by communicating consistent measures of health information between sectors and providers. We use a pragmatic case example of a theoretical medically complex older adult to illustrate use of interRAI standardized assessments throughout the health journey. The case example represents the assessment findings of a patient accessing care through primary care, the emergency department, home/community care and long-term care. A suite of assessment instruments embedded with decision support algorithms guides nursing care decisions, while a common language and standardized assessment items support effective communication and collaboration among the health team. Successful adoption of integrated and comprehensive assessment tools requires training, engagement, and time to embed processes into practice. interRAI assessments enable integration through a common language, aligning successive assessments across the care continuum.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"132-140"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876403/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145187165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brant E Fries, George Heckman, John P Hirdes, Harriet Finne-Soveri, Alice Hirdes, Yohana J S Mashalla, Shannon L Stewart
{"title":"Born from Crisis: The Evolution of interRAI and Its Relevance to Today's Healthcare Challenges.","authors":"Brant E Fries, George Heckman, John P Hirdes, Harriet Finne-Soveri, Alice Hirdes, Yohana J S Mashalla, Shannon L Stewart","doi":"10.1177/08404704251389190","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251389190","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fragmented healthcare systems worldwide struggle to support patient populations with complex health and social needs. System integration requires a standardized clinical health information system to better care for these populations. This review describes how interRAI systems evolved into powerful solutions to support healthcare system integration. In response to a care quality crisis in long-term care homes in the United States, Congress mandated a standardized Minimum Data Set (MDS) from which multiple outputs were derived to support care planning, care quality, and case-mix assessment. This work drew international attention, leading to the creation of interRAI. Three decades of extensive international research, stakeholder engagement, and implementation have led to the creation of comprehensive cross-sectoral assessment systems for diverse populations, including older adults, mental health patients, and children and youth. The interRAI assessment systems, widely used in Canada and internationally, constitute comprehensive clinical assessment systems capable of supporting health system integration.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"75-84"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876427/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145379141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christopher M Perlman, Lynn Martin, Jacobi Elliott
{"title":"Inspiring That EUREKA Moment: The Importance of Patient Co-Design of Outputs from interRAI Assessments.","authors":"Christopher M Perlman, Lynn Martin, Jacobi Elliott","doi":"10.1177/08404704251393901","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251393901","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There are rich data available from assessments like the interRAI Mental Health that may not be shared with patients in usable ways. We outline a co-design process as an example for health system providers interested in developing platforms for sharing interRAI information with care recipients. Persons with lived experience (current and past service users) identified design specifications for summaries of interRAI data over a series of co-design workshops, including visual and text representations of clinical information as well as processes for sharing summaries with patients. Graphic and text considerations were identified in workshops, including icons associated with key clinical issues and nuanced text summaries of assessment outputs and implications. Participants noted that persons in inpatient care should review this information once stable, and with assistance of a peer support specialist. This work affirms that it is not only desirable, but entirely achievable from an organizational perspective to prioritize and integrate patient voices in the design and use of clinical information.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"167-172"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876420/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145542868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Supporting Equitable Aged Care Access: Feasibility and Acceptability Pilot Study of a Paeārahi-Facilitated interRAI Self-Assessment Model for Indigenous Elders.","authors":"Joanna F Hikaka, Mariana Foxcroft, Karyn Foley, Sally Aydon, Robinson J Spencer, Brigette Meehan","doi":"10.1177/08404704251369754","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251369754","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>An interRAI assessment is required for older people in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) to access public aged care services. Paeārahi (Māori health navigators) provide culturally-appropriate, connected healthcare. We investigated the feasibility and acceptability of paeārahi-facilitated Check Up Self Report (CU-SR) completion with older Māori in NZ. Prospective non-randomised, non-comparator intervention study in one NZ health practice with eligible participants (Māori, 55 years or older, community-dwelling, not known to require formal needs assessment). Predefined feasibility and acceptability outcomes were reported using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Participants (n = 50, mean 65.3 years, 66% female) felt most CU-SR items were acceptable. Paeārahi-facilitated assessment and care planning were generally acceptable and feasible to undertake and perceived to improve healthcare access. Paeārahi-facilitated CU-SR assessment and care planning is a scalable model utilising a culturally appropriate, non-regulated Indigenous health workforce and an internationally validated assessment with the potential to identify unmet need and address inequities in aged care access.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"159-166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876414/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145259549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Magnus A Björkgren, Margaret E Saari, Melanie E Thomasson, Leonard C Gray
{"title":"Beyond Digitalization: Essential Information Technology and Procurement Insights for Successful interRAI System Adoption.","authors":"Magnus A Björkgren, Margaret E Saari, Melanie E Thomasson, Leonard C Gray","doi":"10.1177/08404704251390914","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251390914","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objective of this article is to examine the interRAI system for developing digital solutions. As an organization, interRAI provides all the necessary tools for digitalization of interRAI assessments and applications to create an integrated information system for decision support. The organization's model for developing software is to license software vendors in a competitive market. Thus, service providers should carefully consider required and desired features and functionality of software as these will determine how well the interRAI system will work in daily practices. The eight features presented in this article offer general guidelines for procurement agencies and software developers.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"173-177"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876434/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145490369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nick W Bray, Sydney MacNinch, Nazanin Nasiri, Jasmine Friedrich Yap, Ilona Barańska, Emmanuel Bagaragaza, George Heckman, Johanna de Almeida Mello, Katarzyna Szczerbińska, Caitlin McArthur
{"title":"A Scoping Review of Interventions Using an interRAI Information System to Guide Care Management and Assess Intervention Efficacy in Older Adults.","authors":"Nick W Bray, Sydney MacNinch, Nazanin Nasiri, Jasmine Friedrich Yap, Ilona Barańska, Emmanuel Bagaragaza, George Heckman, Johanna de Almeida Mello, Katarzyna Szczerbińska, Caitlin McArthur","doi":"10.1177/08404704251391151","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251391151","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>interRAI instruments consist of clinical information systems able to support integrated care. Through a scoping review, we describe how interRAI instruments are used: (1) as interventions (implementation category) and (2) to evaluate interventions (efficacy category) in older adults. In accordance with the PRISMA-ScR framework, we searched 6 databases and conducted dual-independent screening, with conflicts resolved by a third reviewer. Data extraction followed an identical procedure. The review yielded 64 manuscripts, including 43 and 21 categorized as studies of efficacy or implementation, respectively. Findings indicate that interRAI systems are consistently utilized to evaluate or enhance participant-centred outcomes across diverse healthcare settings in 17 countries, with a particular emphasis on home and long-term care. interRAI is a versatile system with the potential to form the foundation of an integrated clinical information system. This review provides a basis for future research testing novel intervention strategies with interRAI systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"121-131"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876413/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145514543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julie Weir, Darly Dash, Danelle Kenny, Joanna Hikaka, Yassine Benhajali, Zain Pasat, Andrew P Costa, Luke Andrew LA Turcotte, John Hirdes
{"title":"Developing Future Leaders in Health Assessment Research: Evaluation of interRAI's inSPIRe Program.","authors":"Julie Weir, Darly Dash, Danelle Kenny, Joanna Hikaka, Yassine Benhajali, Zain Pasat, Andrew P Costa, Luke Andrew LA Turcotte, John Hirdes","doi":"10.1177/08404704251388358","DOIUrl":"10.1177/08404704251388358","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article reports on the fourth interRAI Summer Program of International Research (inSPIRe), an intensive capacity-building initiative with a structured program, hosted at McMaster University in July 2024. Twenty-four delegates from 14 countries attended, representing diverse backgrounds in research, clinical practice, policy, and health informatics. The inSPIRe initiative aimed to foster understanding of interRAI's assessment systems, develop methodological skills, establish mentorship relationships, create opportunities for contribution to the interRAI consortium, and initiate global collaborations. All participants reported that the program met or exceeded their expectations, with significant benefits including access to comprehensive international datasets, engagement with experienced mentors, and effective knowledge translation between research and practice. Regional adaptations of the program have already emerged, demonstrating its scalability and impact beyond the initial intensive experience. The inSPIRe program represents an effective and flexible model for building global health services leadership and research capacity and capability, applicable internationally.</p>","PeriodicalId":39854,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare Management Forum","volume":" ","pages":"101-107"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12876405/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145453506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}