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AROC datasets, benchmarks & reports

Ambulatory dataset

Learn about our Ambulatory Clinical Dataset, including key outcome measures, how to collect the dataset, data compliance and auditing, and supporting documents.

Ambulatory Clinical Dataset

Evolving models of care in rehabilitation, as a direct response to those in acute and sub acute care, have seen the focus shift to development of ambulatory rehabilitation services. Changes in patient acuity and demand have impacted on the rehabilitation sector, challenging providers to develop innovative models of service delivery that free up traditional inpatient care while continuing to offer quality patient outcomes.

Provision of out of hospital services presents a number of challenges to providers, including evaluation of the effectiveness of program interventions, and with a diverse range of care models across all sectors there are an equally diverse range of accompanying outcome measures.

Benchmarking allows the opportunity for comparison of similar service models and patient groups, and is invaluable to clinicians and other stakeholders in evaluating and improving models of care and service delivery.

AROC was established with a main goal of improving clinical rehabilitation outcomes by benchmarking rehabilitation providers nationally. An original objective of AROC was expansion of data collection to the non-inpatient care setting having established inpatient data collection and benchmarking. The challenge to meeting this objective in an area with such a diverse range of care and service delivery lies in standardising the information collected, including the outcome measure.

Implementation of the National Ambulatory Rehabilitation Benchmarking Initiative commenced in mid 2008.

A draft data set was developed, piloted and refined during 2007/08 with the involvement of stakeholders through representation in the AROC Scientific and Clinical Advisory Committee (SCAC). The ambulatory data set (version 1) was based on the AROC inpatient dataset, modified to include items that relate specifically to evaluating the effectiveness of ambulatory rehabilitation programs.

The ambulatory dataset was reviewed and updated in tandem with the inpatient dataset. The Version 4 AROC Dataset was implemented on 1 July 2012. Following clinical consultation, the ambulatory dataset was further reviewed, with V4.1 ambulatory dataset implemented on 21 August 2017.

The View the AROC Ambulatory Data Dictionary (V4.1). The data dictionaries provide information about each of the data items in the AROC data bank. There are separate dictionaries for Australia and New Zealand because the codesets for some of the data items are different.

A proforma Data collection form for V4.1 dataset is available. This may assist in ensuring that all the relevant data items are collected and entered. The proforma is available in Microsoft Word format, and can be modified to suit the needs of participant services as desired.

All Impairments

Australian Modified Lawton’s IADL Scale

Download the Australian Modified Lawton's IADL Scale (pdf)

The choice of outcome measure, Australian Modified Lawton’s IADL Scale, resulted from vigorous discussions with major stakeholders regarding the goal orientation of ambulatory rehabilitation as opposed to that of inpatient rehabilitation; namely the focus of inpatient rehab on a return to physical and cognitive functional ability in the self-care spectrum, rather than the ability to interact and function in the community independently. The assumption being that in general most participants in ambulatory care already demonstrated a degree of functional independence. To this end, the Australian Modified Lawton’s IADL Scale represents a more sensitive measure of the outcome of ambulatory rehabilitation than the FIM (the outcome measure used by AROC in an inpatient setting) as it relates to instrumental tasks, such as a patient’s ability to do their own shopping, cleaning, cooking, manages their finances, skills that demonstrate their independence in the wider context.

The Australian Modified Lawton’s is widely used by Home and Community Care Services (HACC) where it has been shown to be valid and reliable in the downloadable Towards a Measure of Function for Home and Community Care Services in Australia report (pdf), and as a generic outcome measure, it successfully demonstrates changes in the patient’s ability to participate in activities of daily living as effected by their rehabilitation. The Australian Modified Lawton's is an easy tool to administer and requires minimal training.

The Australian Modified Lawton’s IADL Scale measures rehabilitation outcomes in a broad context across the spectrum of care and service delivery models; as such, it is not designed, or intended, to replace existing patient, discipline, or service-specific outcome measures, but to be an additional tool used to enable benchmarking across all participating services. There is a future opportunity, once the ambulatory data collection is established, for AROC to add impairment specific outcome measures to the ambulatory dataset to provide more specific benchmarking at an impairment level.

Impairment Specific

Facilities can choose to:

  1. Enter ambulatory data directly into the AROC database using the AROC Online Services (AOS) web-based data entry functionality, or
  2. Enter data into their own IT systems, with the V4.1 ambulatory data items built in. Ambulatory data extracts are then uploaded regularly via the AOS, for inclusion in the AROC database.

All items in all AROC data sets are mandatory and should be collected and submitted to AROC via AROC Online Services (AOS). It is important that all uploaded data (as opposed to data entered directly into the AROC database via the data entry functionality of AOS) conform to the specified format available in the AROC Data Dictionaries. Therefore, if a facility is unable to collect some items in the AROC data set space for them should be included in their data extract.

All data submitted to AROC undergoes a comprehensive audit process. Learn more about the process of auditing after AOS data is entered. After entering each patient the user will receive an audit report on-screen highlighting any errors or missing data. Data uploaded to AROC via extract from another IT system will be audited on upload. Corrected data should be resubmitted to AROC via AOS.

Download the AROC clinical datasets and supporting documents