Growing older in the context of needing geriatric assessment: a qualitative study

Stakeholders' experiences of comprehensive geriatric assessment in an inpatient hospital setting: a qualitative systematic review and meta-ethnography

BACKGROUND

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is considered the gold standard approach to improving a range of outcomes for older adults living with frailty admitted to hospital. To date, research has predominantly focused on quantitative syntheses of the international evidence with limited focus on qualitative synthesis of stakeholder perspectives. This review aims to resolve this research gap by identifying and synthesising qualitative studies reporting multiple stakeholders' experiences of inpatient CGA.

METHODS

A systematic search of five electronic databases was conducted. Qualitative or mixed methods studies that included qualitative findings on the experiences of CGA in an inpatient hospital setting from the perspective of healthcare professionals (HCP), older adults, and those important to them were included. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (Registration: CRD42021283167) and the 10-item Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist was used to appraise the methodological quality of included studies. Results were synthesised as a meta-ethnography.

RESULTS

Eleven studies, which reported on the experiences of 153 HCPs, 91 older adults and 57 caregivers were included. The studies dated from 2011 to 2021 and three key themes were identified: (1) HCPs, older adults and caregivers report conflicting views on CGA as a holistic process, (2) most HCPs, but only some older adults and caregivers view CGA goalsetting and care planning as collaborative, and (3) all stakeholders value care continuity during the transition from hospital to home but often fail to achieve it.

CONCLUSION

While HCPs, older adults, and caregivers' values and ambitions related to CGA broadly align, their experiences often differ. The identified themes highlight organisational and relational factors, which positively and negatively influence CGA practices and processes in an inpatient hospital setting.

Standard risk assessment forms help reduce preventable harm in older adult inpatients: A retrospective chart review study

AIMS

To examine nurse documentation of assessments using standard risk assessment forms in older inpatients, and to determine the value of such assessment.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional retrospective chart review.

METHODS

This retrospective review of risk evaluation documentation in patients' medical records focused on skin, continence, medical complications, nutrition, cognition, mobility, medications and pain.

RESULTS

A total of 1000 medical records from Taiwan hospitals were reviewed from January 2016 to December 2017, and 379 from Australian hospitals were reviewed from March 2011 to February 2012. Taiwanese patients with documented assessment of skin (aOR =2.94, 95%CI =1.88-4.54), nutrition (aOR =3.22, 95%CI =1.08-9.59), cognition (aOR =2.61, 95%CI =1.32-5.16) and pain (aOR =5.01, 95%CI=1.63-15.38) had significantly higher odds of developing new problems; while Australian patients with documented assessments of continence (aOR =11.55, 95%CI =1.48-90.45) and nutrition (aOR =12.90, 95%CI =1.67-99.06) had significantly higher odds of developing new problems.

DISCUSSION

Nursing assessments and interventions documented in standard risk assessment forms help clinical nurses detect new preventable problems and prevent harm in older hospital inpatients across geographic locations and hospital types. Standard nursing forms can be used in clinical practice to guide proactive care by nurses to prevent harm during hospitalisation.

IMPACT

Older inpatients are at risk of preventable harm and new health problems. The present study found that incorporating eight factors sensitive to nursing care into standard risk assessment forms can help reduce preventable harm in older inpatients. In addition, these forms guide assessment and intervention effectively in different countries.

The needs of older people receiving home care: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Most people in a state of illness or reduced self-sufficiency wish to remain in their home environment. Their physiological needs, and their psychological, social, and environmental needs, must be fully met when providing care in their home environment. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the self-perceived needs of older people living with illness or reduced self-sufficiency and receiving professional home care.

METHODS

A scoping review of articles published between 2009 and 2018 was conducted by searching six databases and Google Scholar. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze data from the articles retrieved.

RESULTS

15 articles were included in the analysis. Inductive thematic analysis identified six themes: coping with illness; autonomy; relationship with professionals; quality, safe and secure care; role in society; environment.

CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION

Older home care patients living with chronic illness and reduced self-sufficiency are able to express their needs and wishes. Care must, therefore, be planned in line with recipients' needs and wishes, which requires a holistic approach.

Spirituality in older men living alone near the end-of-life

Older people living alone has been reported to be socially isolated and suffering from loneliness. Although spiritual care is a core element of end-of-life care for older people, a clear-cut definition of spirituality has not been established yet. It remains unclear how spirituality is perceived by heath care professionals and how spiritual care is delivered in the end of life. Also, most of the previous studies on perspective of older people living alone targeted women, while very few researches shed light on the experience of older men. The aim of the present study was to investigate the spirituality of older men living alone near the end-of-life. We conducted group interviews targeting 30 care managers and individual in-depth interviews to 15 older men living alone. Qualitative content analysis was used. Five main themes emerged: worthlessness and hopelessness, autonomy and independence, comfort and gratitude, past experiences, and well-being indicator. Our findings provide important additional information that can help clinicians, nurses and care managers achieve better patient-centered care for older men living alone and enhance their dignity. Our investigation found that Japanese older men living alone were enjoying their autonomous status and freedom, despite wide spread negative views of them. Their spiritual health was found to be enhanced through gratitude to everyone with whom they had crossed paths in their life, yearning for the presence of a female companion, and confirming their health measurements were comparative or better than those of others in the same age group.

Feeling Respected as a Person: a Qualitative Analysis of Frail Older People's Experiences on an Acute Geriatric Ward Practicing a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) practices multidimensional, interdisciplinary, and diagnostic processes as a means to identify care needs, plan care, and improve outcomes of frail older people. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze frail older people’s experiences of receiving CGA. Through a secondary analysis, interviews and transcripts were revisited in an attempt to discover the meaning behind the participants’ implied, ambiguous, and verbalized thoughts that were not illuminated in the primary study. Feeling “respected as a person” is the phenomenon participants described on a CGA acute geriatric ward, achieved by having a reciprocal relationship with the ward staff, enabling their participation in decisions when engaged in communication and understanding. However, when a person was too ill to participate, then care was person-supportive care. CGA, when delivered by staff practicing person-centered care, can keep the frail older person in focus despite them being a patient. If a person-centered care approach does not work because the person is too ill, then person-supportive care is delivered. However, when staff and/or organizational practices do not implement a person-centered care approach, this can hinder patients feeling “respected as a person”.

Should frail older adults be in long-term care facilities?

AIM

Home-based nursing care is relatively easy to access in Norway compared to the rest of Europe, and the threshold for applying for assistance is relatively low. The aim of the present study was to analyze factors that enable frail older adults to live in their own homes, with a low level of care burden stress.

METHODOLOGY

In 2015 and 2016, eight municipalities from different parts of Norway participated in a cross-sectional study. The quantitative part of the project consisted of assessing care of 71 older adults, aged ≥80 years, using a geriatric comprehensive assessment. The qualitative part consisted of semistructured telephone interviews with 14 leaders of nursing homes and home-based nursing care and interviews with 26 close relatives.

RESULTS

In this sample, 60% of the older adults were living alone, and 79% were at risk of permanent nursing home admission; 31% stated that they would be better-off at a higher caring level, mainly due to living alone. The relatives, their resources, and motivation to provide care seemed to be crucial for how long older adults with heavy care burden could stay at home. The municipalities offered a combination of comprehensive home care, day centers, and revolving short-term stays to enable them to live at home.

CONCLUSION

The results reveal that the need for home care services is steadily increasing. The relatives are coping with the physical care, far better than the uncertainties and worries about what could happen when the older adults stay alone. The number of beds in institutional care in each municipality depends on various factors, such as the inhabitants' life expectancy, social aspects, geography, well-functioning eldercare pathways, competence of the health professionals, and a well-planned housing policy.