Challenges in Transitional Care
Institutional Affiliation
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Brief Literature Review
The provision of quality transitional care is significant to
all patients since it helps to ascertain that the care needs of the patients
are fulfilled once they transition across different care settings. According to
McDonagh& Kelly (2010), challenges
associated with transitional care result in adverse negative outcomes such as
higher healthcare costs, unnecessary hospital readmission rates, reduced life
quality and satisfaction levels of the patient as well as increased burden on
the caregivers. Coleman and Berenson
(2004) note that hospital readmission rates have increased by 37%
especially among elderly patients with stroke conditions. Coleman and Berenson (2004) further add
that the problem is projected to worsen with the expected population
increase of older adults. A number of studies have established that adverse
events take place within transitional care and that elderly patients with
complex care needs tend to be at higher risks. Additionally, Allen et. al. (2014) maintains
that at least 49% of patients experience at least one instance of
distance-related medical errors or adverse events during the transitional care
period. Some of these events have been reported to be preventable and that
their severity could be reduced through the use of earlier corrective actions as
they are often brought up by issues like diagnostic test follow-up errors,
falls, infections and drug mix-ups(Toles
et. al., 2016). The severity of these events may result in permanent
disability or in some cases death. At least 50% of the patients experiencing
such adverse conditions end up requiring extra health-care services hence
increased hospital readmission rates. LaMantia et. al., (2010) notes that the existence of such
transitional care problems are brought about by ineffective and poor
communication and inconsistencies in the exchange of patient information among
the health care providers. In overall, therefore, the literature proposes that
there is need to conduct additional research on transitional care in a bid to
increase understanding on how the quality of transitional care, especially for
the elderly patients, can be enhanced.
Methodology and Design of the
Study
The
study on transition care covers the hospital admission of patients all the way
to their being discharged to their homes under the care of their caregivers. Hence
the methodology of the study will include the participant observation study on
the admission and discharge transition process. Such will involve having holding
conversations with some of the elderly patients as well as their caregivers in
regards to their awareness on the providence of transitional care. The
observation method will also include a close analysis of the handling of the
patients throughout their admission process until they are discharged. Such
will include observing how the nurses receive the patients, their conduct in
emergency departments as well as how they take care of the patients when in
their medical wards. Additionally, the observation method will also cover
information on the mode of interactions, coordination, and dialogue between the
patients and the health practitioners’ right from the day of admission all the
way to the day the patients are discharged from hospitals.
Sampling Methodology
To recruit participants in the study, the sampling method
was used. Also, different municipalities were consulted and different nursing
leaders were selected using the sampling method, to take part in the interviews
hence enhancing the research process. The interviews helped to shed light on
the role played by the nursing leaders in the transitional care process for
older patients. Hence the interviews were used to collect data and also to
dictate the key areas that the nurse leaders should address, as a means to
ascertain any existing challenges in transitional care. The interviews were
structured in a manner that starts with the general information on transitional
care, then on the transition process and lastly on the experiences of the
patients during the transition care period. Such will help to collect key
information on all aspects of transitional care starting from when the patients
are admitted to hospitals all the way to when they are released home and during
their recovery period at home.
Necessary Tools
The research process will involve the use of different tools
and technologies. The primary consideration, however, is on whether the technology
information tools used in the healthcare settings assist to ease the
transitional care process. It is critical to note that there exist multiple
technologies used in the provision of transitional care among them electronic
health records of the patients. These records contain information on the
patients and can easily be retrieved to enhance the treatment process. Also, these records incorporate the clinical
decision support which enables the nurses and other key health care personnel
to make informed decisions regarding the well-being of the patients. In
essence, therefore, health IT experts perform multiple roles with respect to
fulfilling transitional care. It is critical to capture all information
pertaining to patient needs as it helps to inform the transition care process in
addition to the medical history of the patients as well as what needs to be
done to help foster their quick recovery. As a result, it is important that the
IT health systems are designed in a manner that helps to support the transition
process, hence assisting patients to go through the transition process with
more ease. Additionally, with the provision of information technology,
healthcare professionals can best communicate with the caregivers taking care
of the patients hence helping to improve to reduce the instance of hospital
readmissions.
Any Algorithms/Flow Maps Created
The main algorithm flow created during the research process
is the Fourier Transform. The Fourier transform is regarded as one of the key
algorithm methods to be used in healthcare settings (Chen, 2016). Generally, the Fourier transform is a technique
used to break down complex signals thus enabling healthcare providers to
realize the variations in their activities and to determine the best outcome
needs for the patients. Such helps to ensure that the healthcare personnel meet
their objectives within the organization and also to confirm whether the
patients are fit to be discharged home(Chen, 2016). The second algorithm that will be created is the
Mumps algorithm. The Mumps algorithm was recently developed to meet the current
patient needs in the medical sector (Baronov &Evan, 2018). Hence, the Mumps algorithm functions as
an operating system which helps the health care experts to understand the
different aspects of patient needs and to determine on the course of action to
be taken (Baronov &Evan,
2018). The Mumps algorithm is currently used in the powering of the all
the hospital department hence helping to manage patient clinical records and
enabling the healthcare personnel to be fast in assessing the patient health
care records thus improving the overall workplace efficiency (Baronov &Evan, 2018). The
third algorithm method created is the use of probabilistic data which is a
technique that enables for different computer searchers which are deterministic
to be carried out. The algorithm technique is very important since it ranks
different types of information depending on the likelihood of the patients to
adapt well to these methods hence helping to estimate the time that it will
take for the patients to remain in hospital (Leyenaar et. al., 2016). Hence the probabilistic data
technique is important in the transitional care process as it helps to see that
patients remain in hospital long enough until they are fit enough to be absorbed
into the home care systems (Leyenaar
et. al., 2016). Lastly, medical algorithms are important in aiding the
decision-making process hence helping to promote safe healthcare as it
eliminates any errors on the part of the healthcare personnel when provided
health care services(Chen,
2016). With the increased cases of medical
errors, the medical algorithms come in handy in helping the health care
personnel to provide quality health care services and to understand the patient
needs hence effectively determining the patients who require specialized care
during the transitional care process(Chen, 2016). Therefore, a
medical algorithm in this respect functions as a decision tree which helps to
go about complex decisions with the help of programming. In this case,
therefore, medical algorithms help to eliminate existing uncertainties in the decision-making
process hence improving efficiency in the provision of transitional care
References
Allen, J., Hutchinson, A. M.,
Brown, R., & Livingston, P. M. (2014). Quality care outcomes following
transitional care interventions for older people from hospital to home: a
systematic review. BMC health services research, 14(1), 346.
Baronov, D. V. & Evan J.
B. (2018).Systems and methods for transitioning patient care from signal based
monitoring to risk-based monitoring. U.S. Patent Application 10/062,456, filed August 28, 2018.
Chen, E. T. (2016).Examining
the influence of information technology on modern health care.Effective
Methods for Modern Healthcare Service Quality and Evaluation (pp. 110-136).IGI Global.
Coleman, E. A., &
Berenson, R. A. (2004).Lost in transition: challenges and opportunities for
improving the quality of transitional care. Annals of internal medicine, 141(7), 533-536.
LaMantia, M. A., Scheunemann,
L. P., Viera, A. J., Busby‐Whitehead, J., & Hanson, L. C. (2010).
Interventions to improve transitional care between nursing homes and hospitals:
a systematic review. Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society, 58(4), 777-782.
Leyenaar, J. K., Desai, A.
D., Burkhart, Q., Parast, L., Roth, C. P., McGalliard, J., … &Gidengil,
C. A. (2016). Quality
measures to assess care transitions for hospitalized children. Pediatrics, 138(2), e20160906.
McDonagh, J. E., & Kelly,
D. A. (2010).The challenges and opportunities for transitional care research. Pediatric transplantation, 14(6), 688-700.
Toles, M., Colon-Emeric, C.,
Asafu-Adjei, J., Moreton, E., & Hanson, L. C. (2016). Transitional care of
older adults in skilled nursing facilities: A systematic review. Geriatric Nursing, 37(4), 296-301.
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