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The Healthcare Institution of East Iceland Frontpage

East Iceland Health

Final RAI assessment for HSA nursing homes for the period June-October 2026

12th November 2026

RAI assessment is used to assess the quality of care and the needs of residents in nursing homes (Real Resident Accommodation). This assessment is carried out three times a year and is intended to assess the health and care needs of residents based on the results of 20 quality indicators. It must be kept in mind that quality indicators are indicators of how treatment and care are provided in nursing homes and not absolute truths.

Quality criteria for individual quality indicators have both upper and lower quality criteria. A poor quality criterion (upper limit) indicates that an issue needs to be further investigated and ways to improve it are sought. A good quality criterion (lower limit) is the criterion that is considered to describe good or excellent care and treatment.
The results of the RAI assessment for the period June to October for HSA are very similar to the last one. Of the 20 quality criteria, HSA exceeds the upper quality criteria in 2 quality indicators during the period, the same as last time. Of these two quality indicators, the national average is also exceeded in one of them and just below the line in the upper quality criterion in the other. As last time, HSA is below the lower quality criterion in 3 quality indicators. If we compare the results of the quality indicators at HSA on the one hand and the national average on the other, HSA is below the national average in 6 quality indicators (three more than last time), a similar result to the national average in 2 quality indicators (was 9) and above the national average in 12 quality indicators (was 8 last time).
HSA is doing well in terms of quality indicators for the prevalence of urinary and fecal incontinence without regular toilet visits, the prevalence of body restraints and the prevalence of fecal impaction and is below the lower quality standard there and below the national average. Recently, quality indicators related to population depression have been examined separately and the quality indicator for depressive symptoms has continued to decline since last time, moving closer to the line of the lower quality standard as well as the national average. The issues that need to be examined more closely relate to the prevalence of the use of 9 or more medications and the prevalence of urinary catheters. HSA is above the upper quality standard and the national average there, and the quality standard for the prevalence of urinary catheters has risen well above the upper quality standard. The prevalence of use of 9 or more medications has remained the same as in the last assessment period. As for the quality indicator that has been discussed in society recently, the prevalence of use of strong psychotropic drugs in cases other than those recommended, it continues to decline in our country, is within the standard and below the national average.

The RAI measurement tool can also be used to assess the so-called nursing burden, which is used to indicate the level of strain on nursing homes over a certain period.
The nursing burden in HSA nursing homes was measured at 1.19 for the period June-October 2026, an increase of 0.05 from the last time. However, this is still below the national average, where the nursing burden is 1.27. Of the 108 residents who were assessed, 19 HSA clients are measured with a nursing burden above the national average, or just under 18%. Another 16 residents have a nursing burden of 1.26, or just below the national average. Those with the highest score have 1.63, while the lowest score is 0.91 and the median is 1.18.

When assessing nursing burden, the RUG classification is used and the classification depends on how complex or specialized the nursing care is, as well as how much assistance the resident needs with ADL (activities of daily living) or how much training/activity the person receives in the nursing home. This actually means how much service the person receives in the nursing home. There are 7 categories in total, but they are then divided into 44 subcategories depending on how many points the person receives for ADL. Most residents of HSA nursing homes fall into the category of special rehabilitation, or about 70%. It should be noted that the highest score you can get is 1.79 in the top subcategory of special rehabilitation, the second highest is the top subcategory of extensive nursing care (1.63), while the lowest is 0.66 in the bottom subcategory of behavioral problems. Residents can fall into all 7 of these categories but register in the category that has the highest weight.

The Healthcare Institution of East Iceland

Main office

Lagarás 22,
700 Egilstaðir

470 3050
info@hsa.is

kt. 610199-2839

Quality Standards and Certifications

Neskaupstaður
470 1450

Egilsstaðir
470 3000

Reyðarfjörður
470 1420

Eskifjörður
470 1430

Seyðisfjörður
470 3060

Vopnafjörður
470 3070

Fáskrúðsfjörður
470 3080

Stöðvarfjörður
470 3088

Breiðdalsvík
470 3099

Djúpi­vogur
470 3090