The Resident Assessment Instrument, or RAI, helps alert us to problems in resident care so that we can address them early and remedy them whenever possible. The RAI helps us look at different areas of care as they relate to each resident. This first part of the RAI is a tool to collect information, the Minimum Data Set, or MDS.

As we look at these areas, any problems will trigger the need for an assessment in that area. The RAI then gives us a guide to help in that assessment. This second, more detailed part of the RAI is the Resident Assessment Protocol, or RAP.