About – interRAI Australia

interRAI in Australia

interRAI is relatively new in Australia. However, Australian researchers are making a major contribution to research and development of interRAI systems world-wide. Within interRAI, the team at the University of Queensland is responsible for development of interRAI hospital systems. These systems were launched internationally in 2017. They include the interRAI Emergency Department Screener, the Emergency Department Contact Assessment, the interRAI Acute Care (for adult inpatients), the interRAI Acute Care for Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and the interRAI Post-Acute Care and Rehabilitation systems.

interRAI Hospital Systems

interRAI Australia advocates for the use of interRAI systems across Australia, because of their wide international acceptance, scientific robustness and unique compatibility across care settings. In Australia: · Large scale implementations of the interRAI Acute Care will commence later in 2019 in Australia and internationally · A statewide implementation of the interRAI Checkup – designed for primary care and community nursing – will also commence in 2019 · The interRAI Acute Care for Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment has been available statewide in Queensland for almost 10 years, and is used extensively to support rural hospital telehealth programs and for geriatric consultation services in major hospitals · interRAI systems have been used to support a wide variety of research projects in residential aged care, palliative care, transition care and inpatient rehabilitation interRAI systems are mandated for use in community and residential aged care programs across New Zealand

interRAI Fellows

interRAI participates in international interRAI activities through individuals who are “Fellows”. Australian interRAI Fellows are Professor Len Gray (interRAI Board member and lead of the interRAI Network for Acute Care); Professor Ruth Hubbard (geriatrician and frailty expert); Dr Melinda-Martin Khan (dementia and quality indicator expert); Dr Nancye Peel (applications development expert) and Bonnie Pimm (training expert).

Len Gray, MD, PhD

Professor

Len Gray is the Director of the University of Queensland Centre for Health Services Research and a Professor in Geriatric Medicine. His research interests focus on aged care and telemedicine policy and practice, service design, assessment and clinical decision support systems, and quality measurement. Within interRAI, he is a Board member and a member of the Instrument and Systems Development (ISD) Committee. He leads the interRAI Network in Acute Care (iNAC), which is responsible for research and development of assessment systems related to hospital care.

Ruth E. Hubbard, MD

Professor

Ruth Hubbard is a skilled specialist....... completed an MSc in Medical Education in 2005 and an MD on pathophysiological changes in frail older people in 2008. She was then awarded a grant from the Peel Research Trust, London to pursue her studies in frailty at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia (2007 – 2009). Here, she was able to test hypotheses regarding the determinants and manifestations of frailty through the interrogation of large datasets. She has published widely on the inflammatory aetiology of frailty, the difficulties of measuring frailty in clinical practice and the relationships between frailty and obesity, smoking, socioeconomic status and exercise.

Melinda Martin-Khan

Melinda Martin-Khan is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences at The University of Queensland, Australia. Her research focus includes measuring quality of care for older persons, telehealth and a public health approach to dementia. She was an investigator on the project which developed the Acute Care Outcome Quality Indicators that are linked to the interRAI AC Assessment Instrument, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). She is an investigator on a project, funded by the Queensland Emergency Medicine Research Foundation (QEMRF), to develop and test potential quality indicators relevant to the clinical care, and outcomes, of older persons in the Emergency Department. She is a member of the interRAI Network of Excellence in Acute Care (iNEAC) with a role on the Steering Committee, and the working groups for both the Acute Care and Emergency Department instruments.

Nancye Peel

Nancye Peel is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She has a Doctorate in Population Health and Master of Public Health (Epidemiology and Statistics), with a background in Physiotherapy. Her research focuses on improving health outcomes and quality of aged care across settings including home care, acute care and post acute care through integrated geriatric assessment. She is a chief investigator on NHMRC funded grants including risk stratification of older people in acute care using a Frailty Index derived from the interRAI AC; mobility monitoring in geriatric rehabilitation; and developing quality indications in post acute transition care. She is a member of the interRAI Network of Excellence in Acute Care (of older persons), and on the working group for development of the AC PAC and Nurse Assessment for acute care.

Jason Ferris

Associate Professor

Associate Professor Jason Ferris is a drug and alcohol epidemiologist and biostatistician with almost 20 years of public health research experience. He leads two programs within The University of Queensland, Substance Use and Mental Health (Centre for Health Services Research) and the Faculty of Medicine Research and Statistical Support Service (RASSS). A/Prof Ferris is a member of the Advisory Council to the Queensland Mental Health Commission and an active collaborator with interRAI. In these roles, he provides expert consultation on the substance use and mental health trends of Australians, and as part of interRAI, he promotes the implementation of the interRAI community mental health tool across Queensland.

Bonnie Pimm

Bonnie Pimm is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years’ experience. She is currently employed within the Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Queensland as a Research Nurse and is a key contributor to the development of the interRAI Hospital Systems instruments and manuals. Bonnie has a Graduate Certificate in Aged Care and also works as a Clinical Nurse performing Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. Bonnie is a member of the interRAi International Training Committee and provides interRAI training and support throughout Australia.

Vicki Hobson-Green

Vicki Hobson-Green is the Centre Manager for the Centre for Health Services Research at The University of Queensland.