Indicators of job quality in the Australian aged care workforce: A scoping review

Summary Little is known about the quantity, nature and range of Australian social work research on ageing and aged care. This scoping review involved a comprehensive search of seven online bibliographic databases. The review identified 108 peer-reviewed journal articles, published between January 2007 and June 2014, that reported Australian social work research on ageing and aged care. Findings The average number of authors per paper was 2.10 with most social work researchers co-authoring papers with non-social workers. The main topics of research focus were health and rehabilitation, elder abuse, asset management, community services and caregiving, housing and residential aged care, and ageing with an intellectual disability. The findings highlight the contribution social work researchers make to multidisciplinary gerontological research, and to understanding the lived experiences of older people and the provision of services. However, they also point to the relative paucity of research focusing on direct social work practice with older people, and the little evidence of the participation of older people and carers in the design and delivery of research. Applications The findings indicate the need for capacity-building strategies, such as developing networks of Australian social work researchers on ageing and aged care, to improve research outputs in this area.

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Teaching strategies and activities to enhance students’ clinical placement in residential aged care facilities: a scoping review

JBI Evidence Synthesis ◽

10.11124/jbisrir-d-19-00334 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 2302-2334

Author(s):

Rose McCloskey ◽

Lisa Keeping-Burke ◽

Cindy Donovan ◽

Jessica Cook ◽

Richelle Witherspoon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Teaching Strategies ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Aged Care ◽

Clinical Placement ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Care Facilities ◽

Aged Care Facilities ◽

Residential Aged Care Facilities

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A Comprehensive Evaluation of Studies on the Adverse Effects of Medications in Australian Aged care Facilities: A Scoping Review

Pharmacy ◽

10.3390/pharmacy8020056 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 56

Author(s):

Haider Qasim ◽

Maree Simpson ◽

Yann Guisard ◽

Barbora de Courten

Keyword(s):

Adverse Effects ◽

Older People ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Adverse Drug Events ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

The Elderly ◽

Aged Care ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Care Facilities ◽

Aged Care Facilities

Aim: this scoping review was designed to identify studies that assess adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for older people in Australian aged care facilities. This review critically evaluates each published study to identify the risk of, or actual, adverse drug events in older people. Inclusion criteria: this review considered any clinical studies that examined the adverse effects of medications in older people who were living in aged care facilities. This review considered qualitative studies, analytical studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), descriptive cross-sectional studies, and analytic observational studies that explored the use of medications and their adverse effects on older people in clinical settings (including aged care facilities). Methods: an initial search of the PubMed (United State National Library of Medicine), OvidSP, EBSCOHost, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online, SAGE, and SCOPUS databases, with full text was performed, followed by an analysis of the article’s title and abstract. Additionally, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) was used to describe the article. The initial round of the database search was based on inclusion criteria from studies that assessed tools or protocols aiming to identify the adverse effects of medications on the elderly population suffering chronic conditions or multiple co-morbidities. Two reviewers screened the retrieved papers for inclusion. The data presented in this review are in tabular forms and accompanied by a narrative summary which aligns with the review’s objectives. Results: seven studies were identified, and the extracted data from these studies were grouped according their characteristics and the auditing results of each study. Conclusion: it would be beneficial to design a comprehensive or broadly adverse drug reaction assessment tool derived from Australian data that has been used on the elderly in an Australian healthcare setting.

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Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Food Procurement and Foodservice in Australian Aged Care and Healthcare Services: A Scoping Review of Current Research and Training

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su132011207 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (20) ◽

pp. 11207

Author(s):

Lena D Stephens ◽

Judi Porter ◽

Mark Lawrence

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Food Systems ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Aged Care ◽

Sustainable Food Systems ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Environmentally Sustainable ◽

The Past ◽

Food Procurement ◽

And Training

Balancing the adoption of environmentally sustainable food systems in Australian healthcare and aged care settings whilst meeting nutritional requirements has never been more critical. This scoping review aimed to identify: the major authoritative reports/guidelines related to healthy and environmentally sustainable food procurement and foodservice in aged care and healthcare services released by international and Australian governments/organizations; and the scope of healthy and environmentally sustainable food procurement and foodservice research and training initiatives in aged care and healthcare services implemented in Australia over the past decade. A systematic search yielded n = 17 authoritative reports/guidelines and n = 20 publications describing Australian research and training initiatives. Implementation of healthy and sustainable food procurement and foodservices were limited by staff knowledge and self-efficacy, and unsupportive management. Further intervention and monitoring of healthy and sustainable food procurement and foodservice practices is needed. Whilst professionals working in and managing these services require upskilling to apply evidence-based approaches, no system-wide training programs are currently available. There is an urgent need to resolve the existing gap between recommendations to adopt environmentally sustainable practices and staff training across these sectors.

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Self-efficacy of direct care workers providing care to older people in residential aged care settings: A systematic scoping review protocol

10.21203/rs.3.rs-23929/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sumina Shrestha ◽

Rayan Jafnan M Alharbi ◽

Christine While ◽

Julie Ellis ◽

Muhammad Aziz Rahman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Aged Care ◽

Direct Care ◽

Direct Care Workers ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Care Services ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Care Workers

Abstract Background Self-efficacy is developed through a person’s interaction with his/her physical and social environment. Self-efficacy in caring is an essential attribute of care workers to develop a positive attitude towards their clients, improve work performance, and enhance job satisfaction. Care workers’ self-efficacy may vary according to the context in which the care is being provided. Aged care is a multidimensional and challenging setting, and characteristics of aged care services are different from those of acute care services. The objective of this review is to give an overview of the self-efficacy of residential aged care workers in caring for older people and factors influencing their self-efficacy. Methods The protocol for this review is based on the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual for Scoping Review. A systematic search of the literature on electronic databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AgeLine, SCOPUS, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global will be carried out using predefined search terms to identify relevant studies. This review will include all primary studies irrespective of the study design. Two reviewers will independently conduct title and abstract screening, full-text screening, and data extraction. A third reviewer will resolve discrepancies, while the final decision for conflicting studies will be made by consensus within the review team. Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools will be used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Quantitative findings will be presented in narrative form accompanied by tabulated results and a random effects meta-analysis will be conducted to compute the pooled estimates of the impacts of various influencing factors on caring self-efficacy of the direct care workers. Qualitative research findings will be synthesised using the meta-aggregation approach. Discussion This review aims to bring together the evidence on the caring self-efficacy of aged care workers and associated factors. This will be an important source of knowledge to policymakers and aged care providers to understand the self-efficacy of aged care workers in order to support and enhance their self-efficacy and thereby improve their caring behaviours towards their clients. Scoping Review Registration Joanna Briggs Institute Systematic Review Register with the title ‘A scoping review of factors influencing caring efficacy of direct care workers providing care to older people’ ( https://joannabriggs.org/ebp/systematic_review_register )

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A Scoping Review of Research on Food Design Interventions to Improve Nutrition in Adults: A Focus on Food Shaping with Implications for Older Adults with Swallowing Disorders

10.31219/osf.io/kpy9d ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lily Chen ◽

Deborah Debono ◽

Bronwyn Hemsley

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Aged Care ◽

Swallowing Disorders ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Swallowing Difficulty ◽

Food Design

The aim of this scoping review is to appraise and synthesise the scientific evidence on the use of food shaping interventions aimed at enhancing nutrition in adults. Specifically, the review aims to answer the following questions:1.What food shaping interventions have been examined as a means to increase access to nutrition for adults, across populations and settings?2.What food shaping interventions have been examined as a means to increase access to nutrition for older adults (a) with swallowing difficulty or with conditions with high prevalence of swallowing difficulty, or (b) in aged care settings?

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Caring self-efficacy of direct care workers in residential aged care settings: A mixed methods scoping review

Geriatric Nursing ◽

10.1016/j.gerinurse.2021.09.014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (6) ◽

pp. 1429-1445

Author(s):

Sumina Shrestha ◽

Rayan JM Alharbi ◽

Yvonne Wells ◽

Christine While ◽

Muhammad Aziz Rahman

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Aged Care ◽

Direct Care ◽

Direct Care Workers ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Care Workers

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Medication use in aged care residents in the last year of life: A scoping review

Palliative Medicine ◽

10.1177/0269216320911596 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (7) ◽

pp. 832-850

Author(s):

Charlotte Aitken ◽

Michal Boyd ◽

Lorraine Nielsen ◽

Aileen Collier

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Medication Safety ◽

Keyword Search ◽

Medication Use ◽

Well Being ◽

Access To Medicines ◽

Aged Care ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Care Facilities ◽

Aged Care Facilities

Background: A substantial number of older adults die in residential aged care facilities, yet little is known about the characteristics of and how best to optimise medication use in the last year of life. Aim: The aim of this review was to map characteristics of medication use in aged care residents during the last year of life in order to examine key concepts related to medication safety and draw implications for further research and service provision. Design: A scoping review following Arskey and O’Malley’s framework was conducted using a targeted keyword search, followed by assessments of eligibility based on title and content of abstracts and full papers. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, the scoping review protocol was prospectively registered to the Open Science Framework on 27 November 2018. Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL and Cochrane databases to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 1937 and 2018, written in English and looking at medication use in individuals living in aged care facilities within their last year of life. Results: A total of 30 papers were reviewed. Five key overarching themes were derived from the analysis process: (1) access to medicines at the end of life, (2) categorisation and classes: medicines and populations, (3) polypharmacy and total medication numbers, (4) use of symptomatic versus preventive medications and (5) ‘inappropriate’ medications. Conclusion: Number of prescriptions or blunt categorisations of medications to assess their appropriateness are unlikely to be sufficient to promote well-being and medication safety for older people in residential aged care in the final stages of life.

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