Dr Janine Margarita Dizon
Research Fellow (Knowledge & Implementation Hub)
Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia, Flinders University
The Knowledge and Implementation Hub (the Hub) formed a User Reference Group (URG) to understand how its users access and use information, as well as provide feedback on improving the Hub. URG members represented user groups including aged care providers, allied health professionals, nurses, care workers, older people and their families/carers. Two online meetings were held in 2023.
The conversations in our first meeting were on these three key themes: sources of information, accessing online information, and challenges and enablers in accessing and using information.
We found URG members search various information sources, including the Internet, social media platforms, traditional (paper-based) and training sessions. Web-based sources included search engines (Google) and websites of trusted organisations (i.e., Dementia Training Australia). When brief information is required, some URG members prefer social media platforms (i.e., Facebook), with textbooks, professional development programs or training/education sessions, and personal communication with supervisors or leaders being other information sources. Managers, Allied Health professionals and nurses working in facilities access online information using computers or laptops. Community and care workers use their mobile phones to access online information.
Challenges in accessing online information sources were also discussed. We found that an overwhelming choice of available information, poor/unstable Internet connections, and database subscriptions are common barriers to access. At point-of-care, availability of the supervisor for consultation and the limited to a lack of practical guidance on 'how to do the work' were seen as challenges, especially in remote care settings. These challenges, if addressed, can turn into enablers.
We discussed three key themes in our second meeting: the Hubs positive features, interactive challenges and recommendations for improvement.
URG members liked the Hub's appearance, with a clean, clear webpage structure that conveys positive ageing in featured imagery. The Hub is perceived as an excellent source of evidence-based information about Australian aged care, considering the complexity of the work without being prescriptive. It has a diverse collection of credible resources specific to the different roles of the aged care worker. Members also reported the Hub as having a user-friendly interface (navigation and information flow) and can be accessed using different device types (i.e., desktops, tablets and mobile phones). However, usability and navigation of pages can be quite challenging if a person is not used to the structure of the Hub.
Improving the Hub user experience requires tailoring the content to the setting and practice for aged care workers' specific role in providing care. URG members recommended interactive toolkits, outcome measures lists, curation of commonly asked questions (and their answers) and improvements to search and functionality.
Our URG members are valued contributors, who continually help us improve the Hub through their feedback. We are reviewing the Hub, its relationship with the wider ARIIA organisation and its stakeholders, and the improvements to be prioritised. We aim to give our users the best information and user experience suited to their needs.
*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.