Care transitions

The emergency department (ED) is a critical point of identification and treatment for some of the most high-risk children with asthma. This review summarizes the evidence regarding care transition interventions originating in the ED for children with uncontrolled asthma, with a focus on care coordination and self-management education. Although many interventions on care transition for pediatric asthma have been tested, only a few were actually conducted in the ED setting.

Background: Transitioning care from hospital to home is associated with risks of adverse events and poor continuity of care. These transitions are even more challenging when new approaches to care, such as palliative care, are introduced before discharge. Family caregivers (FCGs) are expected to navigate these transitions while also managing care. In addition to extensive caregiving responsibilities, FCGs often have their own health needs that can inhibit their ability to provide care.

Caregivers of patients often provide key support for patients after hospitalization. This qualitative metasynthesis describes caregiver perspectives about care coordination for patients discharged from the hospital. A literature search of Ovid Medline and CINAHL completed on May 23, 2018, identified 1,546 studies. Twelve articles were included in the final metasynthesis. Caregiver perspectives about care coordination were compiled into overall themes. A subanalysis of studies in which patients were discharged with home health services was completed.

Background: The process of moving patients from a hospital to a home or another care setting, also called transitional care, can lead to unwanted complications and negative outcomes. The term “transitional care” involves a wide range of conditions and services to ensure the continuity of care and prevention of unwanted consequences in vulnerable individuals, who are affected by any changes in care settings or caregivers.

Background: Although the family caregiver workforce is increasingly diverse, little is known about culturally and linguistically diverse caregivers and patients for whom they care.

Objective: To review characteristics and experiences of informal cancer caregivers.; Data Sources: Recent empirical studies and review papers on informal cancer caregiving.; Conclusion: Increasing cancer prevalence and shifts toward outpatient care place substantial burden on caregivers. Cancer progression, treatment, and individual characteristics influence the caregiving experience.

This study explored informal caregivers' experiences of transitioning an older adult into long-term care (LTC). Qualitative description guided our analysis of semi-structured interviews with 13 informal caregivers of older adults from three LTC homes in southern Ontario. Our findings illustrate that caregivers experience chronic worry and burden before deciding on, or requiring to apply for, LTC. A sense of lack of control was a prominent theme, especially when caregivers were applying for LTC beds.

Purpose of the Study: To describe skilled nursing facility (SNF) nurses’ perspectives on the experiences and needs of persons with dementia (PwD) during hospital-to-SNF transitions and to identify factors related to the quality of these transitions. Design and Methods: Grounded dimensional analysis study using individual and focus group interviews with nurses (N = 40) from 11 SNFs.