Project Summary
Brenna Trading Pty Ltd in partnership with the Australian Catholic University and OneCare Limited has been awarded an ARIIA grant for their project ‘Clear communication between nurses and families: a digital communication tool improving staff productivity, retention and service delivery in aged care’.
Can a digital app improve the wellbeing of both aged care residents’ loved ones and nursing staff?
Australian Catholic University will evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile application (Brenna) that streamlines communication between registered nurses and family members of residents at OneCare residential aged-care homes in Tasmania. The app assists nurses including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) provide clear updates to a resident’s loved ones.
In a world first, the benefits of a structured nurse communication tool will assess:
- Staff: reductions to stress, burnout, and time spent on communication tasks; usefulness for CALD staff.
- Loved ones: impact upon communication clarity, trust, and satisfaction with the service provider.
- Service: the impact of tool on the service will be assessed via staff retention and cost-benefit analysis.
A mixed method approach will use online surveys, and individual/group discussions along with ‘Time in motion study of staff workflows’.
This work has a translational impact across the entire Australian aged care sector as the tool facilitates compliance with The Aged Care Quality Standards, particularly Standard 2 ‘Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers’, and Standard 3 ‘Personal care and clinical care’.
Project Outcomes
Background and Aims
The project “Clear communication between nurses and families: a digital communication tool improving staff productivity, retention and service delivery in aged care” was a collaboration between Brenna, Australian Catholic University (ACU) and OneCare Aged Care Provider.
ACU evaluated the experience of OneCare nurses and loved ones using a nurse communication application, Brenna. In a world first, this project assessed the benefits of the structured nurse communication tool in the following ways: 1) Staff: reductions to stress, burnout and time spent on communication tasks improving job satisfaction. 2) Loved ones: How does use of the app impact upon communication clarity, trust, and satisfaction with the service-provider?
What We Did
Prior to Brenna being used, ACU found that family communication activities took up 10% of OneCare nursing staff’s time (May 2024). By the end of 2024 Brenna was implemented across all 5 sites in Tasmania with structured staff training provided. Online survey evaluation of 33 staff and 115 loved ones found that the App is very well received by staff and accepted by loved ones. Staff report revealed that the App saves staff time (84%) and gives them more time to spend with residents (81%). The majority of staff surveyed (82%) found that App makes communicating with families easier. Most family users surveyed found updates about family useful (71%) and timely (71%). 91% of staff responses agreed that the App “Gives me comfort that I am meeting compliance requirements”. The App appears very useful for those with English as an additional language as two in three staff report that App helps them overcome language barriers (20/29, 69%). More than half of loved ones surveyed report that App helps them understand messages from staff who have English as an additional language (56%). The outcomes for this study have translational impact across the entire Australian aged care sector as the tool facilitates compliance with The Aged Care Quality Standards, particularly Standard 2 ‘Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers’, and Standard 3 ‘Personal care and clinical care’. Brenna is now used by providers in both metro and regional areas across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.
Contact Information
Contact Jeannie-Marie or hello@brenna.com.au for information about the Brenna App.
Contact Kirsten Challinor for information about the evaluation findings.