RESPECT is a collection of algorithms that use information about an individual’s health to predict their survival - that is how long they will live. We, the RESPECT team, packages the algorithms into products that can be easily used by individuals, their caregivers, health care providers, and health organizations, to support meaningful care conversations and decisions.

For an individual to receive care that aligns with their needs, values and goals, they need to understand their current and future health care needs. A key piece of information to understanding their health is their own survival. Unfortunately, information about an individual’s survival is rarely shared - survival is unknown or providers don’t know how to share it. RESPECT delivers personalized, precise, and accessible survival estimates to individuals, their caregivers, and care teams to support meaningful care conversations and decisions.

RESPECT was developed by Ontario-based researchers and scientists at the Bruyère Health Research Institute and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Yes. RESPECT is extensively researched and evaluated. First, RESPECT was developed using real population data. Therefore, RESPECT gives realistic survival estimates, reflecting what can actually happen. Second, RESPECT is successfully implemented, as proof-of-concept studies, in Ontario long-term care homes. Through these studies we evaluated the use of RESPECT and found RESPECT can be integrated into routine care workflows, is acceptable to staff and residents, and supports earlier identification of care needs. Third, with ongoing research we continue to assess RESPECT’s effectiveness, the user experience, and impact on care planning and communication.

First, RESPECT was built using data from the population it is intended to serve, including community-dwelling older adults and long-term care residents. Therefore, RESPECT provides realistic survival estimates (i.e., life expectancies) for individuals and outperforms similar tools commonly used in the community and long-term care settings. Second, RESPECT produces reports that are digestible and actionable for all users, whether you are an older adult or physician. Therefore, individuals and their health care teams can have meaningful conversations about the individual’s current and future care needs as they have the same information.

RESPECT has been validated using data from over 246,000 LTC residents and 570,000 community dwelling older adults and is the best-performing mortality risk algorithm to date.

RESPECT uses information about an individuals’ age, sex, diagnosed conditions (e.g., dementia, heart failure), function (e.g., ability to walk, bathe), cognition, symptoms (e.g., shortness of breath), and recent health care use (e.g., hospitalization), to create survival estimates.

The RESPECT tool provides estimated life expectancy - that is how many months or years you can expect to live. Life expectancies are actionable and understandable.

No. RESPECT is a support tool designed to complement clinical judgement and encourage proactive conversations about care preferences.

Use the Individual Web Calculator to get an estimated life expectancy. Use the estimated life expectancy to guide conversations about your care with your caregivers and care teams.

No. RESPECT supports shared decision-making. The final care decisions always involve the individual/resident, family, and healthcare providers.

Select long-term care homes in Ontario and Alberta are using RESPECT.

RESPECT uses health information that is already routinely collected in long-term care homes. RESPECT does not collect any new data or change the care residents receives. Similar to other tools used in healthcare for quality improvement and care planning, individual consent is not required because RESPECT operates within existing clinical workflows. RESPECT supports healthcare providers by helping them organize and interpret information they are already using - enabling earlier, better-informed conversations about care needs. Importantly, RESPECT does not make care decisions or replace conversations with residents or families.

RESPECT uses health information that is routinely collected in long-term care homes. Health information includes an individuals’ age, sex, diagnosed conditions (e.g., dementia, heart failure), function (e.g., ability to walk, bathe), cognition, symptoms (e.g., shortness of breath), and recent health care use (e.g., hospitalization).

While RESPECT provides stratifications based on survival time, organizations can choose how they use these insights to prioritize assessments and care interventions.

Use the RESPECT Suite of Products to calculate, see, and share RESPECT. Integrate RESPECT into your existing care processes, independently or with guidance from the RESEPCT Team.

The RESPECT team provides training on how to use the RESPECT suite of products. Additional training, to support long-term care homes use of RESPECT, such as training on how to share RESPECT with residents and their caregivers are also available. Reach out to the RESPECT Team for more information.

Output generation will take few of minutes (2-5) based on your internet connection and the amount of data being processed

Yes. Data is managed in compliance with privacy regulations and data security standards applicable in Canadian healthcare settings.