Achieving data-driven quality improvement of eldercare services – a scoping review

Aging populations pose a significant challenge for many countries worldwide, including Sweden. At the same time, many argue that the current quality of Swedish eldercare is flawed.

An important question for the future, therefore, is how the quality of eldercare can be enhanced, even as economic resources remain limited.One way of ensuring high-quality eldercare is an increased and more efficient use of the extensive information about care quality that is available.

In Sweden, a large amount of quality data on various aspects of services to elderly persons is collected, but there are indications that it is not used systematically to improve the quality.

This contrasts with the healthcare sector, where collected quality data, such as in national quality registers, often forms the basis for systematic quality improvement efforts.

The question is whether eldercare could also benefit from a more systematic use of quality data, and, if so, how this can best be achieved.The aim of this literature review is to compile and evaluate existing international research on the use of quality data for the development of eldercare.

The overarching research question guiding this work is what type of data is collected in different countries, by various actors; and how this data is then used to systematically improve the quality of care services. Part of the review will focus on how the concept of "quality" itself is defined and measured across different contexts.

Additionally, the review will identify the organizational prerequisites and strategies that are essential for quality data to be effectively employed in enhancing service quality.

Methodologically, this review will be conducted as a scoping review, with a literature search limited to studies and research reports from OECD countries.The results of the literature review will be disseminated within the academic community through articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference papers.

Non-academic dissemination to various stakeholders, including national and municipal actors, will occur via lectures and webinars.

The insights generated through this project may have practical implications by improving the use of existing information to enhance the quality of municipal healthcare and eldercare services.