UNISSON

This project aims to analyse how the quality and safety of care for the elderly is understood and addressed in professional practices in nursing homes and homecare, including an understanding of digital technologies, work organisation and management aspects as potential resources or obstacles.

It is based on a qualitative diagnostic approach, focused on identifying the issues, mechanisms and conditions that influence the quality and safety of care, based on the experiences and practices of professionals in the field.

In the longer term, this work is part of a process aimed at optimising patient-centered results and enhancing the quality and safety of care, particularly in the context of a reorientation of healthcare systems towards ambulatory, home-based or nursing home care.

The evaluation and deployment of innovative technological, organisational or clinical solutions aiming to improve the efficiency of care are therefore future prospects. They are not part of this diagnostic phase but may be considered in later steps of the project.

Demographic ageing, the cantonal Senior+ policy and the trend towards outpatient care are radically transforming the organisation of care in the canton of Fribourg. These developments are leading to an increase in demand for homecare and long-term support, while also increasing the complexity of the situations addressed in nursing homes. Care teams are faced with increased demands in terms of skills, different organisational and institutional contexts, and growing challenges related to the quality and safety of care.

In this context, an interdisciplinary team from the HES-SO Fribourg (Nursing – HEdS, Engineering – HEIA, Management – HEG) is collaborating with the Sarine Health Network to conduct a qualitative diagnostic study. This first phase will analyse how the quality and safety of care for the elderly are understood and addressed in professional practices in nursing homes and homecare, and identify the role of digital technologies, work organisation and management aspects as resources or barriers.

Looking further ahead, this research project is part of a strategy to optimise patient-centred outcomes and improve the quality and safety of care, in a context characterized by an ageing population, an increase in polymorbidity among older people and a shift towards outpatient care, which is putting increasing pressure on homecare and nursing homes.

The identification, evaluation and implementation of targeted measures – whether technological, organisational, clinical or managerial – will therefore be addressed in future projects.