This study aimed at examining the Resident Assessment Instrument- Home Care (RAI-HC) regarding its potential for a variety of researches as well as for improving quality of care. We searched Medline and PubMed database for peer-reviewed articles reporting primary data on the RAIHC in English. Study site, objectives of the studies, and findings were abstracted. The search identified 34 articles that met the author’s criteria. Nearly a half of the identified studies was conducted in Canada where the RAI-HC is officially used; therefore population based longitudinal survey is widely possible. Another nearly a half was based on a joint European study called ADHOC. There were broadly four types of studies. Firstly, the main focus was on a prevalence of particular conditions of home care clients across different care settings. Secondly, the focus was on predicting factors of either inappropriate events such as falls and nursing home admission or appropriate treatment regimen. Thirdly, the focus was on adverse consequences of clients’ conditions, such as care giver burden as a possible consequence of depressed clients. Lastly, the focus was on development of algorism or protocol to prioritize long-term care placement or rehabilitation planning. Substantial studies have been done using the RAI-HC and they have provided useful scientific insights in the area of home care. Official use of the RAI-HC in home care agencies throughout could contribute to help identify and respond to health promotion and disease prevention issues in this population.

Charles University Prague 1st Faculty of Medicine Department of Geriatrics Czech Republic

Palacký University in Olomouc Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Nursing Czech Republic

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