Glow Health Care Australia

To support improvements to skin integrity observation and data capture at the frontline, we established a process to collect, escalate, and feed back skin integrity data. The initiative started by engaging with care partners, managers, the RN and clinical team, IT and data to learn more about existing documentation issues. 

We developed QR code tools for support workers, registered nurses and care partners to support observations, reviews and actions. These include the pathway for support worker observations being followed by RNs and care partners, with actions documented as part of care planning. We also completed a staff data literacy assessment, developed resources to upskill staff on data use and conducted a pilot test with 11 clients. Data collection went live in April 2026 and care partners followed up with workers after shifts and supported clients with fewer visits. 

Our IT and data team created a Skin Integrity Platform using role-based forms, case management, audit logs, data visibility via dashboards, and notifications. 

Key data points for the dashboard were identified and discussed with staff, and feedback reviewed. From this, workflows were adjusted and resources were developed for sustainability, and to share with other service providers in the sector.  

Consequently, the project created a more structured way to collect and access skin integrity information, creating a clearer feedback mechanism between support workers, RNs, and care partners. It created a process to capture an incident, report on it, and follow through to ensure it was addressed by an RN and linked to care planning (which previously would have been recorded in progress notes and not followed through to clinical input). This has increased our ability to identify potential issues and ensured accountability for the issue being followed up by a clinical support worker. 

There was an increased level of data literacy amongst staff who participated in this project, increasing awareness of the role of accurate documentation and its relevance to high-quality client care. This led to a more active approach by the care partners to check-in with workers to ensure they had identified if there were issues with skin integrity, the forms were completed correctly, and if it was necessary to request further follow-up. 

Additionally, our organisation now has a greater capacity to utilise skin integrity data in line with current quality monitoring and quality reporting requirements, as well as future requirements for Support at Home. This ensures its ongoing relevance to the wider organisation, supported via the QR-based forms, the Skin Integrity Platform, the dashboard metrics and the organisation data dictionary. 

In summary, the project was designed to improve documentation process from being somewhat inconsistent and ad-hoc to being more standardised and data-informed, which will ultimately allow us to monitor our skin integrity information and support staff in providing better client care. 

We plan to sustain and expand the skin integrity data collection workflow beyond the initial pilot cohort by embedding it into routine care partner follow-up, staff onboarding, clinical review and quality reporting. Moving forward, we will tailor the Skin Integrity Platform with feedback from staff and streamline the reporting process. This tool will be gradually introduced to additional clients and support staff, where it is applicable to support staff. In addition to the platform development, we will progress dashboard reporting to monitor skin integrity concerns, RN follow-ups, care partner actioning, care plan updates, and escalation timeliness as part of usual quality governance. In the future, this experience can assist other projects to enhance decisions regarding acute to home models, and can be explored in other aspects of care including falls and medication concerns, deterioration risk, and client wellbeing. 

This project highlights that the quality of care in aged care services hinges on collecting simple, useful, meaningful, and purposeful data from the front line. For aged care staff, this project affirms that data literacy is more than a skill to learn; it's part of their daily practice of care. This includes support staff who need to recognise and report changes, RNs who need accurate data to inform clinical review, and care partners who need easy-to-understand data to inform follow-up, care plan updates and client support.

In terms of the wider sector, this project (and the broader Flagship Program) demonstrates to Support at Home providers the value of structured skin integrity data collection in raising earlier risk identification, supporting timely escalation, supporting evidence to justify equipment or home modifications. This project shows that home care providers do not need to wait for skin integrity to become a mandatory quality indicator before acting. By embedding skin integrity monitoring into routine visits, care partner follow-up and clinical review, home care providers can move the workforce toward a more preventive, informed and quality-focused approach to care. 

Our team learned that improving aged care data collection goes beyond creating a digital form or tool; it demands a clear care process, an understanding of role boundaries and staff engagement at all levels. Skin integrity data was made useful only when there was an RN review, follow-up and care plan update from the care partner. The project provided an opportunity to develop the team's understanding of data literacy, data quality, workflow design, co-design, clinical escalation and dashboard design. The project has also highlighted the important role of care partners in the data feedback loop, as well as the essential need for RN input to provide a safe and clinically relevant interpretation of concerns raised by support workers. 

In summary, the skin integrity project contributed to GHCA improving our capacity to utilise data within day-to-day care, not just for reporting, but also to recognise risk, improve communication, and promote improved outcomes for clients.