Supporting the delivery of home-based care: The DELIVER program

Abstract

Background: Translating research findings and evidence is essential to delivering innovative, patient-centred healthcare closer to home, particularly in regional and rural settings. DELIVER (Delivering Enhanced healthcare at home through optimising virtual tools for older people in Rural and Regional Australia) is a five-year research project that brings together patients, regional and rural health services, peak bodies, universities, and primary healthcare providers across Western Victoria.

Aim: The aim of DELIVER is to improve healthcare at home for older people in regional and rural areas while strengthening research capability and accelerating research translation within rural and regional health services. Methods: South West Healthcare is currently participating in three multi-site DELIVER studies addressing research capacity and in-home healthcare delivery: (1) measuring research culture and capacity; (2) developing implementation guidelines for AI scribes to enhance rural healthcare for older adults and their caregivers; and (3) examining patient and carer preferences for Hospital-in-the-Home programs using a discrete choice experiment. The first study (Barwon Health HREC 23/29) aims to measure and monitor the research culture and capacity of healthcare staff at South West Healthcare through distribution of a survey incorporating the Research Capacity and Culture Tool. The second study (Barwon Health HREC 25/178) evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived risks of using ambient AI scribes in rural and regional healthcare consultations through simulated clinical scenarios. Data collection has been scheduled for July, and the team is currently developing clinical scenarios. The third study (Barwon Health HREC 25/93) employs a qualitative design, including online workshops with expert panels, as well as focus groups and interviews with older Australians and carers to explore preferences related to Hospital-in-the-Home features. This study is currently in the planning stage.

Findings: The findings from these studies are expected to generate evidence to identify barriers and enablers to research engagement, inform the implementation of AI scribes during consultations, and support the design of home-based models of care.

Conclusion: By empowering healthcare services with the latest evidence, DELIVER can improve research capacity and support the delivery of innovative home-based care across rural and regional Victoria.