Adaptation of the Patient Benefit Assessment Scale for Hospitalised Older Patients: development, reliability and validity of the P-BAS picture version

Outcomes as experienced by older patients after hospitalisation: satisfaction, acceptance, frustration and hope-a grounded theory study

Background

outcomes of hospitalisation are often described in quantitative terms. It is unknown how older frail patients describe their own outcomes.

Objective

to discover how older frail persons describe their own hospitalisation outcomes and the meaning of these outcomes for their daily lives.

Design

Constructivist Grounded Theory approach.

Participants

frail older people discharged from hospital.

Methods

Open interviews in the participant’s home. Transcripts were coded inductively according to the Constructivist Grounded Theory approach.

Results

Twenty-four interviews were conducted involving 20 unique participants. Although for some participants hospitalisation was just a ripple, for others, it was a turning point. It could have positive or negative impacts on outcomes, including remaining alive, disease, fatigue/condition, complaints, daily functioning, social activities and intimate relationships, hobbies, living situation and mental well-being. Few participants were completely satisfied, but for many, a discrepancy between expectation and reality existed. Some participants could accept this, others remained hopeful and some were frustrated. Factors associated with these categories were research and treatment options, (un)clarity about the situation, setting the bar too high or pushing boundaries, confidence in physicians, character traits and social factors.

Conclusions

of the persons whose outcomes did not meet their expectations, some were frustrated, others hopeful and others accepted the situation. The following interventions can help patients to accept: clear communication about options and expectations before, during and after hospitalisation; giving room for emotions; help finding social support, encouragement to engage in pleasant activities and find meaning in small things. For some patients, psychological treatment may be needed.

Goal-based outcomes of hospitalisation of older adults are predicted by gender, confidence, quality of life and type of goals

PURPOSE

Although patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) might reflect relevant outcomes from patient perspective, they do not always reflect what the individual patient finds important. Our objectives were to assess which PROM was best suited to evaluate patient-relevant outcomes of hospitalisation and to assess which factors predicted this PROM.

METHODS

A longitudinal study was conducted among hospitalised older patients. Three PROMs were compared with the anchor question 'How much have you benefited from the admission?': a general quality of life measure: EQ-5D; a measure of daily functioning: Katz-15 and a goal-based measure: achievement of self-defined goals. Predictors were examined using logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

We had 185 cases with baseline and follow-up. Accomplishment of self-defined goals showed a large correlation with the anchor question, whereas EQ-5D and Katz-15 showed no significant correlations. The final regression model had four predictors: being man, having higher confidence in goal achievement and good/excellent quality of life increased the odds for goal accomplishment, while having goals in the category alleviating complaints reduced the odds.

CONCLUSION

Accomplishment of individual goals represented the benefit experienced by participants best. Subjective indicators of health and functioning are better predictors of goal accomplishment than objective ones. According to participant experience, the hospital appeared successful in managing disease-specific problems, but less successful in ameliorating complaints. Medical decision-making should not only be based on medical indicators, but the input of the patient is at least as important. Quality of life, goals and confidence should be discussed. More attention is needed for symptom experience.