title: Evaluations of home care interventions for frail older persons using the interRAI Home Care instrument: a systematic review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This systematic review describes the use of the interRAI Home Care (interRAI HC) instrument, an internationally validated comprehensive geriatric assessment, as a base for the evaluation of home care projects. Because of the evidence base of the instrument and its widespread use, researchers can make a thorough evaluation of projects and interventions in home care and can also have insight in international comparisons. The aim of this systematic review is to identify research that evaluates interventions in the home care setting using this comprehensive geriatric assessment and to describe these evaluations and report the results of the use of this instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two independent reviewers constructed a comprehensive list of Medical Subject Headings, which was designed for 5 explicit categories: (1) interventions; (2) evaluation; (3) home care; (4) interRAI HC; and (5) older person. A systematic literature search was then performed in the main electronic databases Web of Science, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, PsycInfo, and CINAHL for the years 1990 to 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Home care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies were described and the following information was extracted from the articles: mean age and proportion of gender of participants; sample size; location of the study; goal of the study; main findings; main limitations; and results of the evaluation of the interRAI HC instrument.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 349 articles were identified. Eighteen studies met our inclusion criteria describing 18 interventions in home care evaluated with the interRAI HC instrument.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This systematic review can help researchers to plan evaluation of interventions in home care. The interRAI HC instrument proves to be a comprehensive tool to measure outcomes and can serve as an evaluation instrument for interventions. It can also be used as an intervention itself, when caregivers use the tool and its outcome measures to implement a care plan.
authors.affiliation: LUCAS, Center for Care Research and Consultancy, KU Leuven Belgium, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: Johanna.mello@med.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Almeida Mello
authors.affiliation: LUCAS, Center for Care Research and Consultancy, KU Leuven Belgium, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hermans
authors.affiliation: LUCAS, Center for Care Research and Consultancy, KU Leuven Belgium, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Audenhove
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, Université Catholique de Louvain, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Macq
authors.affiliation: LUCAS, Center for Care Research and Consultancy, KU Leuven Belgium, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: anja.declercq@med.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Declercq
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium; D019090:Case Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Home care interventions; case management intervention; comprehensive geriatric assessment; evaluations in home care; interRAI Home Care