Abstract
Purpose: The purpose was to describe patients and informal caregivers’ perspectives on how to improve and monitor care during transitions from hospital to home as part of a larger research study to prioritize the components that most influence the development of successful care transition interventions.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative descriptive study between July and August 2016, during which time semi-structured telephone interviews (n=8) were completed with patients and informal caregivers across select Canadian provinces. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analyzed.
Results: Main themes included: the need for effective communication between providers and patients and informal caregivers; the need for improving key aspects of the discharge process; and increasing patients and informal caregivers involvement in care practices. Participants also provided suggestions on how to best monitor care transitions.
Conclusion: This study highlighted the following strategies with patients and informal caregivers: focus on effective communication regarding important information; provide appropriate resources; and increase involvement. Future research is needed to incorporate the input from patients and informal caregivers into the design and implementation of care transition interventions.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Janice Rudderham (JR) for her assistance in conducting the telephone interviews. We would also like to thank our two patient partners on the study team: Katharina Kovacs Burns (KKB) and Linda Hughes (LH) for their valuable contributions. This study was supported by a grant from the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, Accreditation Canada, the Canadian Home Care Association (CHCA), Patients for Patient Safety Canada (PFPSC), Patients Canada, and the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO).
Ethics approval
Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Ottawa Research Ethics Board.
Provenance and peer review
This paper was not commissioned and was externally peer reviewed.
Data sharing statement
No additional data are available.
Author contributions
Both authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and critically revising the paper, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.