Overview
INTERCARE is a research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (National Research Program 74), the Nursing Science Foundation Switzerland (Stiftung Pflegewissenschaft) and the Ebnet Foundation (Ebnet Stiftung). The aim of the INTERCARE project is to reduce avoidable hospitalizations in Swiss nursing homes by means of an interprofessional nurse-led model of care.
Advanced age and increasingly complex care needs of residents in long-term care facilities confront nursing homes with extensive new challenges.
INTERCARE offers new possibilities to optimize the use of limited staff resources in Swiss nursing homes to overall improve residents’ care. In order to ensure high quality nursing in long-term care, it is necessary to position trained medical and nursing staff where it is most profitable for the residents.
The Research Project
The INTERCARE research project contains two project phases: phase A (2017-2018) and phase B (2018-2020). Therefore, the entire project is scheduled to run for a period of four years (2017-2020).
Phase A resulted in a newly developed nurse-led model of care including six core elements. In phase B of the INTERCARE research project, the nurse-led model of care will be introduced, implemented and evaluated in 11 nursing homes in the German part of Switzerland.
The study will allow initial evidence-based conclusions of the use of further trained nurses (expert nurses), in interprofessional teams in Swiss nursing homes. INTERCARE addresses the lack of access to geriatric expertise in Swiss nursing homes and helps develop sustainable solutions. Based on the study, three publicly available reports will be produced in three national languages (German, French and Italian):
- Description of nurse-led models of care in place in Switzerland
- Development of a nurse-led model of care with core and variable elements adapted to Switzerland as well as an implementation checklist
- Evaluation report of the study
These reports will provide stakeholders from nursing homes and policy makers with tools to further expand the nurse-led model of care.
Financing
INTERCARE is financially supported by:
