Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026
Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
Published on: July 27, 2018
Registered Nurse-Led Assessments in Australian Residential Aged Care Homes: A Scoping Review
Laura Bocks1, Catherine Viengkham2,3, Merrick Powell2,3
1Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
Aim:
To understand the current evidence base regarding holistic nursing assessments performed by registered nurses in residential aged care homes in Australia, and identify the gaps in knowledge and potential areas for future research.
Design:
A scoping review informed by JBI guidelines and the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews.
Methods:
The electronic databases Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus and ProQuest Central were searched, alongside citation chaining and manual journal searches. Limits of English language and publication after the year 2000 were applied. Studies were screened against pre-defined eligibility criteria. Data were extracted and analysed using descriptive statistics and a narrative synthesis.
Results:
A total of 3987 studies were identified, of which 28 were categorised as comprehensive or multimodal assessment programmes, standalone assessment tools or assessment infrastructure papers. Key outcomes described included staff factors and resident emergency department transfers or hospitalisations. The key feature of existing nursing assessments across studies was education, which was generally associated with improved staff knowledge, confidence and efficiency. Apart from this, there was large heterogeneity among assessment interventions with inconsistent effects. Few studies focused on residents with dementia or palliative care needs.
Conclusion:
There is currently no standardised, systematic approach to the holistic assessment of residents by registered nurses in Australia. This gap in assessment is especially evident for residents with dementia or palliative care needs.
Impact:
This research highlights the need to develop standardised holistic nursing assessments to bridge this gap in practice.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
No Patient or Public Contribution.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Current Trends in Nursing I
01:19Restorative Care
01:23Assessment of Respiration
Subjective Assessment: Nurses interview the patient to gather information directly during the subjective assessment. It includes questions about the individual's medical history, medications, and symptoms, focusing on past respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD,...
01:29Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments and...
01:19Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities