AI‐Enabled Person‐Centered Care for Unmet Home‐ and Community‐Based Service Needs Among Chinese Older Adults: Latent Profiles and Risk Prediction
Yushan Yu, Dehua Zhu, Mimi Fujitaka, Jun Zhang, Wei‐Hong Zhang, Mirko Petrovic, Chun Chen, Liangliang ChengABSTRACT
Aim
To identify latent profiles of unmet home‐ and community‐based service needs among Chinese older adults and to develop an interpretable machine learning model to support person‐centered care.
Design
Cross‐sectional, multisite study.
Methods
We recruited 487 community‐dwelling adults aged 60 years and older from multiple provinces. Nineteen home‐ and community‐based service items across health services, social services and family caregiver support domains were assessed. A descriptive Jaccard network summarized co‐occurrence across services, latent class analysis identified subgroups with distinct patterns of unmet need, and TabNet classified participants into the combined higher‐unmet‐need group using eight selected demographic and health variables.
Results
Pairwise co‐occurrence among unmet service needs was widespread. Three latent class profiles were identified: Generally Met (69.6%), Healthcare‐focused Unmet Needs (24.9%) and Extensive Unmet Needs (5.5%). TabNet showed moderate discrimination in the internal cross‐validation analysis (AUC 0.767, 95% CI 0.720–0.808).
Conclusions
Latent profiles of unmet service needs were distinct. The interpretable eight‐variable TabNet model may support first‐stage community nursing screening by prioritizing older adults for subsequent professional assessment. External validation is required before routine implementation.
Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care
The model may help nursing teams prioritize older adults for follow‐up assessment; referral and care coordination should be determined through professional assessment and shared decision‐making.
Impact
The study addressed unmet service needs among older adults and may inform resource allocation and person‐centered care planning in community‐based care.
Reporting Method
TRIPOD+AI statement.
Patient or Public Contribution
No patient or public contribution.