Improving In-Hospital Care For Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Study Protocol to Evaluate a System-Wide Sub-Acute Care Intervention in Canada.
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ABSTRACT: Introduction
Acute care hospitals often inadequately prepare older adults to transition back to the community. Interventions that seek to improve this transition process are usually evaluated using healthcare use outcomes (e.g., hospital re-visit rates) only, and do not gather provider and patient perspectives about strategies to better integrate care. This protocol describes how we will use complementary research approaches to evaluate an in-hospital sub-acute care (SAC) intervention, designed to better prepare and transition older adults home.Methods
In three sequential research phases, we will assess (1) SAC transition pathways and effectiveness using administrative data, (2) provider fidelity to SAC core practices using chart audits, and (3) SAC implementation outcomes (e.g., facilitators and barriers to success, strategies to better integrate care) using provider and patient interviews.Results
Findings from each phase will be combined to determine SAC effectiveness and efficiency; to assess intervention components and implementation processes that 'work' or require modification; and to identify provider and patient suggestions for improving care integration, both while patients are hospitalized and to some extent after they transition back home.Discussion
This protocol helps to establish a blueprint for comprehensively evaluating interventions conducted in complex care settings using complementary research approaches and data sources.
SUBMITTER: Doupe MB
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8973798 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan-Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Improving In-Hospital Care For Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Study Protocol to Evaluate a System-Wide Sub-Acute Care Intervention in Canada.
Doupe Malcolm B MB Enns Jennifer E JE Kreindler Sara S Brunkert Thekla T Chateau Dan D Beaudin Paul P Halas Gayle G Katz Alan A Stewart Tara T
International journal of integrated care 20220101 1
<h4>Introduction</h4>Acute care hospitals often inadequately prepare older adults to transition back to the community. Interventions that seek to improve this transition process are usually evaluated using healthcare use outcomes (e.g., hospital re-visit rates) only, and do not gather provider and patient perspectives about strategies to better integrate care. This protocol describes how we will use complementary research approaches to evaluate an in-hospital sub-acute care (SAC) intervention, d ...[more]
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