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Applications of an Information System for Geriatric Planning

Published: Jul 12, 1981. Publicly Released: Jul 12, 1981.
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Highlights

Comments were presented on the applications of an information system for geriatric planning, the "Living Textbook of Geriatric Care." The Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, through its basic research on program evaluation and service planning, has developed a comprehensive planning and resource allocation strategy. This strategy, called the Duke Older American Resources and Services (OARS) Strategy, includes three basic elements: (1) a reliable, valid, multidimensional, functional assessment instrument than can be economically used for individual clinical assessment and in community surveys; (2) a systematic procedure for disaggregating complex services into standard and costable units; and (3) a matrix that relates the impact of known service interventions of the functional capacity of identified populations. Therefore, OARS is an information system that meets the conditions of quasi-experimental design, which is important for health services research and program evaluation; but its components can also be used separately for a variety of purposes by clinicians, program analysts, and resource allocators. To design and plan for the delivery of services to older persons, society, Congress, and the executive branch need information on: (1) their well-being; (2) what factors make a difference in their lives; and (3) the impact of services on the well-being of older people. GAO has used the OARS strategy to demonstrate that a national information system on the well-being of older people could be developed.

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