MEASURING CARE OUTCOMES: THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY CARE OUTCOMES MEASURE (ACCOM)

摘要

Measuring outcomes is essential for the success of aged care services delivered to people in their own home, yet to date, there has been no simple to use, practical methodology available for use in the community care field. This paper reports on the development and extensive field trial of the ACCOM, an Australian outcomes measurement tool that is based in part on a UK tool - the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT), and is administered together with data on the demographics and capabilities of consumers. The research has been undertaken in partnership with a number of leading home care providers in NSW on measuring outcomes in case managed home care services. A key question addressed by the paper is whether it is necessary to develop a country specific approach. Can there be a universal measure of care outcomes?