Community health equipment loans: developing a clinical prioritization system

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Community Nursing
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Home-based patients require equitable access to essential medical equipment.
• Existing equipment loan systems may lack objective prioritization criteria.
• Collaboration between healthcare professionals and researchers is crucial for service improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an objective, clinical need-based prioritization system for equipment loans to home-based patients.
• To implement and evaluate a new clinical referral form for equipment loans.
• To explore health professionals' attitudes towards the equipment loans service.

Main Methods:

• Action research methodology involving community nurses, managers, and researchers.
• Data collection through questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, and stakeholder workshops.
• Implementation and assessment of a novel clinical referral form.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of a unique clinical referral form.
• Improved equity and objectivity in equipment loan decision-making based on clinical criteria.
• Identified existing attitudes and perceptions of the equipment loans service among health professionals.

Conclusions:

• The developed clinical referral form significantly enhanced the equipment loans service for home-based patients.
• The collaborative research approach fostered effective integration of health and social services.
• The project demonstrated a measurable improvement in patient care through objective prioritization.