Evaluation and Strategy Provision to Promote the Indicators of Integrated Geriatric Care Program in an Iranian Community: Protocol for a Participatory Action Research (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND The presence of an effective primary healthcare system can serve as a pivotal factor in promoting and fostering a state of well-being conducive to healthy aging in older adults. OBJECTIVE The objective of this investigation was to evaluate and strategy provisions to promote the indicators of the Integrated Geriatric Care Program (IGCP) for community-dwelling older adults in Yazd, Iran. METHODS The current study is a quantitative-qualitative study with a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach. One of the healthcare centers that has recently obtained the weakest health indicators of the IGCP will be selected as the center for the PAR. The present study aims to enhance the health indicators of IGCP in the designated healthcare center. The principles of this PAR study are based on a cyclical approach including problem identification, planning, implementation, feedback, and evaluation. The study participants comprise the executive staff and the older adults covered by this healthcare center. The data will be collected in two phases quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative data will be obtained through Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and a checklist made by the researcher. The qualitative data will be collected via semi-structured interviews using conventional content analysis design. The interviews will be carried out both before and after the PAR intervention. RESULTS Participant invitation and data collection started in January 2023. PAR will be implemented in November 2023. It is expected that the final evaluation and results report will be done at the end of February 2024. This protocol describes the steps and process of PAR in the present study. CONCLUSIONS PAR studies can be used to empower and create innovative recommendations for the health promotion of older persons. Through the PAR methodology, this investigation seeks to evaluate and strategy provisions to promote the health indicators of IGCP in a developing country.