Understanding Perceived Barriers to Care Among Suburban Super-Utilizers Who Have an Identified Primary Care Provider

The Experience of Chronic Illness Transitional Care: A Qualitative Systematic Review

This is a qualitative systematic review of recent qualitative studies of the experiences and perceptions of both individuals with chronic illness(es) and their caregivers regarding hospital-to-home transitions. Thematic synthesis was used to identify common themes from seven qualitative studies published from 2012 to 2021 and extracted from four electronic databases. This review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. Quality appraisal was assessed and adequate methodological rigor was determined. A total of three barriers to transitional care (communication with multiple healthcare providers, self-management, and psychological stress) and two facilitators of transitional care (family caregiver support and nurse-provided patient-centered care) were identified. These findings can be used by nursing research and healthcare managers to reform transitional care practices for chronic illnesses and caregivers.

The Association between Emergency Department Super-Utilizer Status and Willingness to Participate in Research

BACKGROUND

Research based on emergency departments (EDs) primarily focuses on medical conditions. There is limited research that investigates patients who willingly participate in research. This current study explored ED super-utilizers' (SUs') and nonsuper-utilizers' (NSUs') attitudes toward research.

OBJECTIVE

The study assesses the willingness of SUs to participate in research. We hypothesize that the SU population will be as interested as nonutilizers in participating in medical research.

METHODS

This prospective observational study stratified participants into SU and NSU cohorts based on their self-reported number of ED visits within 6 months. Surveys were captured in a secured database and analyzed using SAS 9.4.

RESULTS

7,481 completed questionnaires. SUs were more interested in participating in all types of research compared to NSUs. Both groups were most willing to participate in surveys. Neither group was particularly interested in studies that required medications. SUs were not more willing to participate in studies without payment than NSUs. Both groups trusted researchers at the same rates.

CONCLUSION

Although rarely included in medical research, SUs were more willing to participate in nearly all types of research and expressed a similar trust in medical research when compared to nonsuper-utilizers.