Using Healthcare Data and Indigenous Spirituality for Decision-Making

Using Healthcare Data and Indigenous Spirituality for Decision-Making

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Health care policies' overall management and development are mostly dependent on information and data. Information plays a major role in maintaining the quality of service and performance for the health care sectors. The previous information and recent research data are necessary to collaborate in case of former improvement in this aspect. In the case of aged care, the available data sets include government websites and reports that are relatable for the aspects. The disease management includes dementia and is related to palliative care services among older people.

Review of dataset

In Australia, the aged care system is dedicated to providing a range of services and options to cater to each individual's different needs. It has been observed that 15% of Australians have been aged 65, which is a 3.7 million population in 2016. This increasing population is estimated to reach 8.7 million by 2056, which comprises 22% of the population (Aihw.gov.au, (2022). Older Australians comprise a diverse group of people from various socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, lifestyles, and life experiences. These factors impact their impact on the ageing population and affect the well-being and health of the aged population of Australia. In 2020, approximately 4.2 million people in Australia were aged 65 and over, and this comprises 16% of the overall population of Australia (Aihw.gov.au, (2021). It has been found that several people use aged care services in Australia, and around 2 in 3 people using this care are women.

Moreover, it has also been observed that the rate of people using these services has increased three times from 2011-2021. 59% of the population over 85 uses residential aged care (Gen-agedcaredata.gov.au, 2022). It has been found that 93% of the population aged 65 and above did not smoke in 2014-15 (Aihw.gov.au, 2022). Admission to aged care has doubled in the past 10 years (Gen-agedcaredata.gov.au, 2022). The statistics show that the median length to stay in longest permanent residential aged care has been 21 months (Aihw.gov.au, 2022). The need to stay in permanent residential care generally increases with age from 70 and onwards (Gen-agedcaredata.gov.au, 2022). A combination of centres imparts to the operation of the Australian aged care system. Governmental, non-governmental, charities, community groups and personal financial contributions impart these services' operation.

The figure illustrates the contribution of each sector in aged care. It has been noted that the spending that emerged for home care and support services has been 14% higher in comparison to the 3.4% higher for residential care services (Gen-agedcaredata.gov.au, 2022). According to the information gathered from the figure, it can be said that the major spending on aged care comes from residential care, which is 59.7%. On the other hand, spending on home care and support comprise 32.6%, whereas 7.7% is done on other services (Gen-agedcaredata.gov.au, 2022). During 2020-21, the Australian government spent $23.6 billion on aged care; with the largest proportion (60%) being spent on residential aged care. This funding has improved flexibility in the services and care delivery and the workforce and assessment services. The $14.3 billion that has been spent on residential aged care is double the amount that has been spent on home care and support. The statistics illustrate that the higher number of female population is aged 65 and above as compared to male population.

The figure displays that there has been increasing in the ageing population in the past few years. 16.7% of the females and 15.0% of males are aged 65 and above. 11.7% of men and 12.1% of women are aged 65-79 years, whereas 3.3% of the male population and 4.6% of women are aged 80years and above (Abs.gov.au, 2018).

Related issues

The older generation of the population is continuing to grow, and it has been projected that this figure will be doubled by the year 2057. The ageing population and decrease in individuals' mortality rate have created pressure on the government. However, it also creates opportunities for the public health sector and the health and welfare sector of Australia to improve their services and provide the aged population with the best population quality care. Though the Australian government have implemented a high amount of funds for aged care, it still needs to be increased because less funding reduces the quality of care provided to aged people. This system needs to impart major focus on improving the governance system and improving the workforce conditions. It is also required to use technology to improve the care and services being provided to older adults.

The usefulness of the data to improve health care services and policies

Source and quality of the data

Table: Data sources used for this assignment

The major resource for the information includes the Australian government website, from the Australian institute of health and welfare. The government websites are mainly based on national surveys and information (Arndt et al. 2020). This can be effective for creating impulsive and over stimulated information criteria that must be developed for the process. The survey includes a statistical analysis report and information. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is involved in analysing and understanding the survey reports and represents them in a sophisticated and detailed manner. The real-world information and their analysis for the process of implementation need to include proper verification procedures. Hence the survey and statistical resource information can be trusted based on verification results.

The verification procedure utilized in these government reports includes the implementation of journals and resources for data involvement. This can be effective for creating an impactful analysis of the research and the collected information on the basis of the selected background for the research (Razzaghi et al. 2022). The project management and related analysis for the information and control over the process are mandatory for decreasing the biases for research results. At the same time, the data analysis procedures, implementation of the factors and information resources are mandatory (Henley-Smith et al. 2019). The peer-reviewed journals utilized in the health care factors for the process. The published journals and articles mentioned in the process are authorized and follow registered methods for research. Based on the information from findings and research limitations, evaluation is possible.

Identified trends in data presentation

The trends for data presentation and enhanced visualization process include making illustrations and showing off the information in a collected and processed manner. The tabular or graphical representation of data is in major trend for certain health care approaches; the information is mainly represented to create an impactful approach to the process (Sivertsen et al. 2019). This can be identified as the fact that it is necessary for this aspect of aged care. The major effects that were observed include problems related to residential care, older aged people suffering from dementia, palliative care and related approaches. The annual report on the quality indicators is a major health care factor in this aspect, which includes the effectiveness of the policies, and their results, the overall improvement factors and necessary approaches in this case. Based on the data and resources representation and highlighted factors, the overall analysis is done on the basis of information from peer-reviewed journals and articles. 

Description of findings

The main findings of the research include both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data includes the rates and measures for the health care approaches from different government websites. As per the findings, the rate of aged population in this country is nearly 22%, which has increased by 7% in the past 5 years. Hence the increased rate of population for aged people can be categorized as a factor for improved palliative care (Dyer et al. 2018). The mortality rate for aged care people is mandatory to be rationalized in the overall management aspects such as lifestyle, socioeconomic backgrounds, and their approach towards the policies. The overall assessment for these aspects refers to increased utilization of the information approaches, such as their implementation in the aspects of policy and plans by the government (Henderson & Willis, 2020). The utilization rate has been observed to increase by 59%. Hence awareness strategies and acknowledgement of the process are needed to improve the utilization. Also, the effectiveness and reach of the project also depend on the consideration of its effectiveness by local people.

The residential care status for the aged people involves 59.7%, and the rate of home care includes 32%. For the approaches for increased analysis of certain information, the home care process is needed to be emphasized in this case (Cousins, 2020). Hence the overall cost estimation and mental health awareness can be spread. Also, increased home-related rehabilitation may also lead to creating impactful older care strategies for avoiding loneliness and related mental distress among patients. In this case, factors for the distinction of service sectors provided through this process are also necessary to factor (Khadka et al. 2019). Improved response and utilization of the policies are possible through effective utilization of digital media platforms and social media sectors in this aspect.

Recommendations for changes in operation quality

It has been found that the aged care system in Australia is suffering from multiple issues, and it is important to mitigate those issues in order to improve the quality of services and provide better care to the aged population. The system can convert these issues into opportunities and assist the older population in enjoying the last phase of their lives with the help of improved and efficient services. The following recommendations can be focused on in order to overcome the existing issues and the delivery of care:

• Increase registered nursing services: The major issue in Australian aged care is the lack of registered nurses. It has been found that this sector is facing an annual shortage of 35000 workers. This shortage restricts better services and improved care being provided to elderly people. Moreover, 65000 workers leave this sector every year, creating a dearth of workers (Daniel, 2022). Therefore, it is required to increase the funding of the government in this regard and increase the number of registered nurses for improved care.
• Implementation of technology: The inclusion of technology in this regard would help the nurse in better evaluation of the health of elderly people. It would help in managing their health concerns and allow services to be delivered remotely. 
• Improving work conditions: The shortage of workforce in this sector is exhausting due to underfunding of the government. The government needs to improve working conditions and reduce heavy workloads, stress, and long working hours, and provide the workers with sufficient wages in order to reduce the dissatisfaction of workers (Daniel, 2022). Providing the workers with appropriate wages and improving working conditions can help in limiting the dearth of working staff in this sector. 

Conclusion

Resource utilization and data collection procedures are mandatory aspects of the data collection process. While developing and evaluating aged care policies and their effectiveness in public welfare, government websites and statistical reports are important sources of information. The effectiveness of information depends on the analysis process, which is followed by comments from peer-reviewed journals and authors. The overall application for awareness and reaches for data and policy-related information are needed to improve. Also, the approaches related to home care and related services are mandatory for increasing its effectiveness. Certain information includes fewer biases and otherwise can be evaluated on the basis of recent research paper findings.

Reference list

Journals

Arndt, V., Holleczek, B., Kajüter, H., Luttmann, S., Nennecke, A., Zeissig, S. R., ... & Katalinic, A. (2020). Data from population-based cancer registration for secondary data analysis: methodological challenges and perspectives. Das Gesundheitswesen, 82(S 01), S62-S71. DOI https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1009-6466

Cousins, S. (2020). Experts criticise Australia's aged care failings over COVID-19. The Lancet, 396(10259), 1322-1323. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32206-6

Dyer, S. M., Liu, E., Gnanamanickam, E. S., Milte, R., Easton, T., Harrison, S. L., ... & Crotty, M. (2018). Clustered domestic residential aged care in Australia: fewer hospitalisations and better quality of life. Medical Journal of Australia, 208(10), 433-438. j doi: 10.5694/mja17.00861

Henderson, J. & Willis, E., 2020. Chapter Twelve: The Marketisation of Aged Care: The Impact of Aged Care Reform in Australia. In Navigating private and public healthcare (pp. 249-267). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcz122

Henley-Smith, S., Boyle, D., & Gray, K. (2019). Improving a secondary use health data warehouse: proposing a multi-level data quality framework. eGEMs, 7(1). doi: 10.5334/egems.298

Khadka, J., Lang, C., Ratcliffe, J., Corlis, M., Wesselingh, S., Whitehead, C., & Inacio, M. (2019). Trends in the utilisation of aged care services in Australia, 2008–2016. BMC geriatrics, 19(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-019-1209-9

Razzaghi, H., Greenberg, J., & Bailey, L. C. (2022). Developing a systematic approach to assessing data quality in secondary use of clinical data based on intended use (Vol. 6, No. 1, p. e10264). DOI: 10.1002/lrh2.10264

Sivertsen, N., Harrington, A., & Hamiduzzaman, M. (2019). Exploring Aboriginal aged care residents’ cultural and spiritual needs in South Australia. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4322-8