• Johanna I Westbrook, Andrew Georgiou, Deborah Black, and Antonia Hordern.
• Health Informatics Research and Evaluation Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. j.westbrook@usyd.edu.au
• Australas J Ageing. 2011 Mar 1; 30 (1): 5-10.

AimTo measure comprehensive medical assessment (CMA) completions among aged care residents in Australia; and to report the outcomes of a CMA service trial.MethodsA population-based descriptive study of CMA completions using Medicare data; and a qualitative study of an intervention trial carried out at a 115-bed residential aged care facility in Sydney, Australia. Fifty residents participated in the trial; 15 interviews were conducted.ResultsIn 2008, less than 50% of Australian aged care residents had a CMA completed. The CMA service trial improved CMA data quality and accessibility. A substantial proportion of residents were found to have previously unidentified health problems that impacted on their health and quality of life.ConclusionsCMA rates are low. New approaches to achieving higher CMA rates, utilising information technology, hold promise. Strategies for ongoing monitoring of care to follow-up problems identified are required to achieve measurable improvements in residents' care and quality of life.© 2010 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing © 2010 ACOTA.

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