The DEWS supports staff working in ARC to recognise when a resident may be getting acutely unwell and to respond early. It was designed in Aotearoa New Zealand specifically for staff working with older people living in care.
Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission, in collaboration with the University of Auckland, is conducting a feasibility study with six aged residential care (ARC) facilities that expressed an interest in testing the Deterioration Early Warning System (DEWS) in ARC.
The DEWS supports staff working in ARC to recognise when a resident may be getting acutely unwell and to respond early. It was designed in Aotearoa New Zealand specifically for staff working with older people living in care.
The DEWS comprises three tools that were co-designed with ARC in a research project supported by the Ageing Well National Science Challenge. It is supported by an implementation package that includes a comprehensive implementation guide, education package and measurement framework.
Te Tāhū Hauora ARC clinical lead Julie Daltrey is leading the feasibility study with Honorary Associate Professor Dr Michal Boyd (principal investigator) from the University of Auckland. Quality improvement support and project management and coordination is being provided by the improved service delivery team at Te Tāhū Hauora.
Following testing, Te Tāhū Hauora will facilitate an evaluation across the test facilities. We expect to:
As this project progresses, updates will be available on our website. You can also contact the team for more information at arc@hqsc.govt.nz.
