Diagnosing and treating urinary tract infections in older people

Strategies to Improve Emergency Transitions From Long-Term Care Facilities: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Older adults residing in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) often experience substandard transitions to emergency departments (EDs) through rationed and delayed ED care. We aimed to identify research describing interventions to improve transitions from RACFs to EDs.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In our scoping review, we included English language articles that (a) examined an intervention to improve transitions from RACF to EDs; and (b) focused on older adults (≥65 years). We employed content analysis. Dy et al.'s Care Transitions Framework was used to assess the contextualization of interventions and measurement of implementation success.

RESULTS

Interventions in 28 studies included geriatric assessment or outreach services (n = 7), standardized documentation forms (n = 6), models of care to improve transitions from RACFs to EDs (n = 6), telehealth services (n = 3), nurse-led care coordination programs (n = 2), acute-care geriatric departments (n = 2), an extended paramedicine program (n = 1), and a web-based referral system (n = 1). Many studies (n = 17) did not define what "improvement" entailed and instead assessed documentation strategies and distal outcomes (e.g., hospital admission rates, length of stay). Few authors reported how they contextualized interventions to align with care environments and/or evaluated implementation success. Few studies included clinician perspectives and no study examined resident- or family/friend caregiver-reported outcomes.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Mixed or nonsignificant results prevent us from recommending (or discouraging) any interventions. Given the complexity of these transitions and the need to create sustainable improvement strategies, future research should describe strategies used to embed innovations in care contexts and to measure both implementation and intervention success.

A first look at consistency of documentation across care settings during emergency transitions of long-term care residents

BACKGROUND

Documentation during resident transitions from long-term care (LTC) to the emergency department (ED) can be inconsistent, leading to inappropriate care. Inconsistent documentation can lead to undertreatment, inefficiencies and adverse patient outcomes. Many individuals residing in LTC have some form of cognitive impairment and may not be able to advocate for themselves, making accurate and consistent documentation vital to ensuring they receive safe care. We examined documentation consistency related to reason for transfer across care settings during these transitions.

METHODS

We included residents of LTC aged 65 or over who experienced an emergency transition from LTC to the ED via emergency medical services. We used a standardized and pilot-tested tracking tool to collect resident chart/patient record data. We collected data from 38 participating LTC facilities to two participating EDs in Western Canadian provinces. Using qualitative directed content analysis, we categorized documentation from LTC to the ED by sufficiency and clinical consistency.

RESULTS

We included 591 eligible transitions in this analysis. Documentation was coded as consistent, inconsistent, or ambiguous. We identified the most common reasons for transition for consistent cases (falls), ambiguous cases (sudden change in condition) and inconsistent cases (falls). Among inconsistent cases, three subcategories were identified: insufficient reporting, potential progression of a condition during transition and unclear reasons for inconsistency.

CONCLUSIONS

Shared continuing education on documentation across care settings should result in documentation supports geriatric emergency care; on-the-job training needs to support reporting of specific signs and symptoms that warrant an emergent response, and discourage the use of vague descriptors.

Fractured Care: A Window Into Emergency Transitions in Care for LTC Residents With Complex Health Needs

Objective: For long-term care (LTC) residents, transfers to emergency departments (EDs) can be associated with poor health outcomes. We aimed to describe characteristics of residents transferred, factors related to decisions during transfer, care received in emergency medical services (EMS), ED settings, outcomes on return to LTC, and times of transfer segments along the transition. Method: We prospectively followed 637 transitions to an ED in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, over a 12-month period. Data were captured through an electronic Transition Tracking Tool and interviews with health care professionals. Results: Common events triggering transfer were falls (26.8%), sudden change in condition (23.5%), and shortness of breath (19.8%). Discrepancies existed between reason for transfer, EMS reported chief complaint, and ED diagnosis. Many transfers resulted in resident return directly to LTC (42.7%). Discussion: Avoidable transfers may put residents at risk of receiving inappropriate care. Standardized communication strategies to highlight changes in resident condition are warranted.

Long-Term Care Health Care Aides' Perceptions of Decision-Making Processes in Transferring Residents to Acute Care Services

Most transfers of long-term care (LTC) facility residents to the emergency department (ED) via 911 calls are necessary. Avoidable transfers can have adverse effects including increased confusion and dehydration. Around 20% of transfers are perceived to be avoidable or unnecessary, yet decision making around transfers is complex and poorly understood. Using a qualitative-focused ethnographic approach, we examined 20 health care aides' (HCAs) perceptions of decision processes leading to transfer using experiential interview data. Inductive analysis throughout iterative data collection and analysis illuminated how HCAs' familiarity with residents make them vital in initiating care processes. Hierarchical reporting structures influenced HCAs' perceptions of nurse responsiveness to their concerns about resident condition, which influenced communications related to transfers. Communication processes in LTC facilities and the value placed on HCA concerns are inconsistent. There is an urgent need to improve conceptualization of HCA roles and communication structures in LTCs.