Olderpeople are at an increased risk of developing multiple co-morbidities causingsubsequent cognitive, functional decline and frailty and increasing the risk ofadverse healthcare outcomes. Public Health Nurses (PHNs), geriatricians andresearchers developed the Risk Instrument for Screening in the Community (RISC)to record the presence of problems, severity (mild, moderate, severe) ofconcerns and caregiver networks’ ability to manage the patient across threedomains: mental state, activities of dailyliving and medical state. The aim of this study was to explore the experiencesof healthcare professionals who had used the RISC with community-dwelling olderadults, between countries. Five focus groups (n = 28) were conducted in fivecountries (Australia, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland andSpain). Four main themes were identified from participants’ experiences usingthe RISC: ‘Tool Usability’; ‘Benefits for Patients and Carers’; ‘OperationalChallenges’; and ‘Recommendations for Improvement’. Some cultural differenceswere found between participants with regards to terminologies such as‘caregiver network’ and ‘insight’ and expectation in relation to caring.Disciplinary differences were identified related to different conceptualisationsof health. The RISC offers an innovative approach to identify and score risk incommunity dwelling older adults. However, further research is necessary toreflect cultural and disciplinary norms.
