Primary care practitioners' perspectives of discharge communication and continuity of care for stroke survivors in Australia: A qualitative descriptive study

Continuity of care as central theme in perinatal care: A systematic review

PROBLEM

The global shortage of nurses is straining perinatal care, disrupting continuity of care and negatively affecting patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Continuity of care is essential in perinatal care, where the complexity of maternal and infant needs requires coordinated care across the antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum periods.

AIM

To provide an overview of the current literature on continuity of care in the interprofessional perinatal care from the perspective of nursing.

METHODS

Guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute, a search in seven academic databases was conducted in March 2023. A thematic synthesis was carried out to structure and integrate the findings.

FINDINGS

A total of 23 articles were identified. Studies explored the impact of continuity of care, served as determinant or outcome, categorised into relational, management, and informational continuity. Notably, continuity as a determinant was the most commonly investigated aspect. Five determinants were identified related to three outcome categories: patient-reported experience measures, patient-reported outcomes, and the prevention or reduction of complications.

DISCUSSION

Continuity of care is mainly manifested in relational and management continuity, with known healthcare professionals, whether or not involved in a care program, being key determinants. The most positive outcomes related to continuity of care were found in the patient-reported experience measures.

CONCLUSION

The personal relationship between patient, parents and healthcare professionals is crucial. Informational continuity is underrepresented in perinatal care research, and there is a lack of research on the relationship between continuity of care and patient-reported outcomes.

Exploring Experiences and Perceptions of Stroke Survivors in Hospital-To-Home Transition Care: A Qualitative Systematic Review

AIM

To integrate experiences and perceptions about stroke survivors during the transition from hospital-to-home care.

DATA SOURCES

Seven databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Ovid, Web of Science, EBSCO and MEDLINE, were searched comprehensively from inception to March 2024, including qualitative studies published in English.

DESIGN

A qualitative systematic review.

METHODS

The search followed the Preferred Reporting Items report for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA 2020). The included research quality was assessed according to the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Meta-aggregation was used to develop analytical themes. Confidence in the Evidence from the Reviews of Qualitative Research (GRADE-CERQual) framework was applied to the findings.

RESULTS

Fifteen qualitative studies were included, from which 54 findings were extracted. Similar findings were summarised into eight categories, resulting in four synthesised findings: Joy and sadness intertwined, Destruction of sense of self and life, External support and internal motivation, and Emotional longings and practical needs.

CONCLUSION

Stroke can lead to devastating changes in survivors' sense of self and physically. Through external support from family members and healthcare professionals, as well as internal motivation to cope positively, stroke survivors positively accept and adapt to life. Meanwhile they still have high expectations for personal independence and reintegration into society.

IMPACT

The review findings can guide health professionals, survivors and families in optimising care during the hospital-to-home transition.

PROTOCOL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO [CRD42024522555].

REPORTING

ENTREQ. No Patient or Public Contribution.

Stroke and liminality: narratives of reconfiguring identity after stroke and their implications for person-centred stroke care

Background

The complex physical, cognitive, and psychological consequences of stroke can disrupt a survivor's sense of pre-stroke normality and identity. This can have a substantial impact on their individual and social lives. Individual reports about life after stroke have improved our understanding of this impact. However, stroke support systems, struggling with increased demands due to a growing stroke population and guideline requirements, require deeper insights based on synthesised narratives into what can enable stroke survivors to rebuild their lives and identities positively to provide person-centred care.

Methods

A qualitative study using Charmaz's Constructivist Grounded Theory (GT) method. Semi-structured interviews lasting 60-90 min were conducted. These interviews were held at least 12 months post-stroke.

Findings

Thirty participants were interviewed from across the UK (14 women, 16 men; aged 31-86; 1-25 years post-stroke). Participants reported the disruption stroke could cause to their sense of identity. The concept of liminality, that describes the ambiguous, transformative state between two distinct stages, where an individual or group exists "betwixt and between" stable conditions, explains the challenge to identity post-stroke. Participants reported developing an uncertain sense of identity as they struggled to structure identity in the same way they did before stroke. This is because the participants' characteristics, traits, hobbies, or future life plans, as well as social relationships and roles, were affected by stroke. Subsequently, participants began a process of reconfiguring their identity, an often-long-term process that involved coming to terms with, and integrating, the impact of stroke on their lives. As a result, participants could enter an indefinite period of sustained liminality as they contend with long-term change and continued uncertainty.

Conclusion

The concept of liminality, which emerged from individual stroke narratives for the first time, conveyed the adaptive and enduring nature of a stroke survivor's journey. Post-stroke liminality may continue indefinitely, sustained by a survivor's subjective individual and social situation. This new insight justifies the urgent call for long-term rehabilitation and support that is tailored towards the unique nature of a survivor's circumstances. Further work is required to understand how tailored, long-term and person-centred support can encourage survivors to positively reconfigure their identity.

From Hospital to Home: Applying a Co-Design Approach to Determine the Key Components of an Intervention to Support Transition-To-Home After Stroke

BACKGROUND

People with stroke and their families face numerous challenges as they leave hospital to return home, often experiencing multifaceted unmet needs and feelings of abandonment. The essential elements of an intervention intended to support transition-to-home after stroke are unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the project was to engage in a co-design process to identify the key components of a pragmatic intervention to inform a transition-to-home support pathway following stroke.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted using a co-design process engaging multiple stakeholders, including 12 people with stroke, 6 caregivers, 26 healthcare professionals and 6 individuals from stroke organisations in a series of three workshops, facilitated by the primary researcher, a wider team of researchers and an individual with lived experience of stroke. World Café methodology and Liberating Structures facilitation techniques were adapted to meet the aim of the workshops. Data collection involved observations during workshops, followed by summarising of findings and reaching group consensus agreement on outputs. Facilitated consensus on a prioritisation task resulted in the final output.

RESULTS

The co-design group identified 10 key intervention components of a transition-to-home support pathway following stroke. These components focussed on enhancing collaboration, streamlining transition processes and facilitating post-discharge support. While a stroke coordinator was considered a top priority, increased cross-setting information sharing and community in-reach, where community-based healthcare staff extended their services into hospital settings to provide continuity care, were considered most feasible to implement.

CONCLUSION

The co-design approach, involving a multi-stakeholder group and strengthened by patient and public involvement, ensured that the identified transition-to-home intervention components are meaningful and relevant for people with stroke and their families. Further co-design workshops are required to refine, and feasibility test the components for generalisability within the wider Irish healthcare setting.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Individuals who have experienced a stroke actively contributed to shaping the methodological design of this study and the ethics process. They engaged in the analysis of co-design outputs and provided input for the discussion and recommendations regarding future research. An individual who had experienced a stroke formed part of the research team, co-facilitating the co-design workshops and co-authoring this article.

Management of ischaemic stroke survivors in primary care setting: the road to holistic care

The management of ischaemic stroke survivors is multidisciplinary, necessitating the collaboration of numerous medical professionals and rehabilitation specialists. However, due to the lack of comprehensive and holistic follow-up, their post-discharge management may be suboptimal. Achieving this holistic, patient-centred follow-up requires coordination and interaction of subspecialties, which general practitioners can provide as the first point of contact in healthcare systems. This approach can improve the management of stroke survivors by preventing recurrent stroke through an integrated post-stroke care, including appropriate Antithrombotic therapy, assisting them to have a Better functional and physiological status, early recognition and intervention of Comorbidities, and lifestyles. For such work to succeed, close interdisciplinary collaboration between primary care physicians and other medical specialists is required in a holistic or integrated way.

Health professionals' practices and perspectives of post-stroke coordinated discharge planning: a national survey

Background It is best practice for stroke services to coordinate discharge care plans with primary/community care providers to ensure continuity of care. This study aimed to describe health professionals' practices in stroke discharge planning within Australia and the factors influencing whether discharge planning is coordinated between hospital and primary/community care providers. Methods A mixed-methods survey informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework was distributed nationally to stroke health professionals regarding post-stroke discharge planning practices and factors influencing coordinated discharge planning (CDP). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results Data from 42 participants working in hospital-based services were analysed. Participants reported that post-stroke CDP did not consistently occur across care providers. Three themes relating to perceived CDP needs were identified: (1) a need to improve coordination between care providers, (2) service-specific management of the discharge process, and (3) addressing the needs of the stroke survivor and family . The main perceived barriers were the socio-political context and health professionals' beliefs about capabilities . The main perceived facilitators were health professionals' social/professional role and identity, knowledge, and intentions . The organisation domain was perceived as both a barrier and facilitator to CDP. Conclusion Australian health professionals working in hospital-based services believe that CDP promotes optimal outcomes for stroke survivors, but experience implementation challenges. Efforts made by organisations to ensure workplace culture and resources support the CDP process through policies and procedures may improve practice. Tailored implementation strategies need to be designed and tested to address identified barriers.

Community health navigator-assisted transition of care from hospital to community: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this parallel group, randomised controlled trial is to evaluate a community health navigator (CHN) intervention provided to patients aged over 40 years and living with chronic health conditions to transition from hospital inpatient care to their homes. Unplanned hospital readmissions are costly for the health system and negatively impact patients.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Patients are randomised post hospital discharge to the CHN intervention or usual care. A comparison of outcomes between intervention and control groups will use multivariate regression techniques that adjust for age, sex and any independent variables that are significantly different between the two groups, using multiple imputation for missing values. Time-to-event analysis will examine the relationship between seeing a CHN following discharge from the index hospitalisation and reduced rehospitalisations in the subsequent 60 days and 6 months. Secondary outcomes include medication adherence, health literacy, quality of life, experience of healthcare and health service use (including the cost of care). We will also conduct a qualitative assessment of the implementation of the navigator role from the viewpoint of stakeholders including patients, health professionals and the navigators themselves.

ETHICS APPROVAL

Ethics approval was obtained from the Research Ethics and Governance Office, Sydney Local Health District, on 21 January 2022 (Protocol no. X21-0438 and 2021/ETH12171). The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and national and international conference presentations. Data will be deposited in an institutional data repository at the end of the trial. This is subject to Ethics Committee approval, and the metadata will be made available on request.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN 12622000659707).

ARTICLE SUMMARY

The objective of this trial is to evaluate a CHN intervention provided to patients aged over 40 years and living with chronic health conditions to transition from hospital inpatient care to their homes.

Evaluating an implementation of the Australian National Guidelines for the On-Screen Display of Discharge Summaries

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the inclusion of pertinent information on electronic discharge summaries (eDS) after implementation of a revised template and electronic medical record (EMR) workflow. Methods A retrospective medical record audit of eDS at three metropolitan hospitals was undertaken for adult inpatient encounters in June 2021 (pre-intervention, n  = 100) and June 2022 (post-intervention, n  = 100). The eDS were evaluated against 16 components listed in the Australian National Guidelines for the On-Screen Display of Discharge Summaries. Nine components were further broken down to between two and 11 sub-components. Sub-analysis compared a hospital with full EMR to pooled results from hospitals with hybrid EMRs. Components and sub-components were evaluated for inclusion only; accuracy or relevance of the information was not assessed. Results Inclusion of three out of 16 components (presentation details: 47% vs 62%, problems and diagnosis: 61% vs 86% and recipient details: 82% vs 93%) and eight out of 36 sub-components (discharge destination, principal diagnosis, history of presenting complaint, infection risk, pressure injury, screening and/or diagnosis of delirium and GP phone number and address) was higher in the post-intervention group (all P  < 0.05). Reduced eDS information inclusion in the post-intervention group was observed for discharge date and falls risk only (both P  < 0.05). Reporting of falls history decreased at the hospital with full EMR (71% vs 20% P  < 0.001) but not at hospitals utilising hybrid EMRs (24% vs 30% P  = 0.5). Conclusion The intervention was associated with improved inclusion of pertinent information as described in the Australian National Guidelines for the On-Screen Display of Discharge Summaries.

Social care causes of delayed transfer of care (DTOC) from hospital for older people: Unpicking the nuances of 'provider capacity' and 'patient choice'

Unnecessarily prolonged stays in hospitals can have negative impacts on patients and present avoidable costs to health and social care systems. This paper presents the qualitative findings of a multi-methods study of the social care causes of delayed transfers of care (DTOC) for older people in England. The quantitative strand of this study found that DTOC are significantly affected by homecare supply. In this paper, we explore in depth how and why social care capacity factors lead to delays, from the perspectives of those working within the system. We examined the local transfer arrangements in six English local authority (LA) sites that were purposively sampled to include a range of DTOC performance and LA characteristics. Between March and December 2018, 52 professionals involved in arranging or facilitating discharge from hospitals in these sites provided qualitative data, primarily through semi-structured interviews. Topics included discharge teams and processes, strategic issues and perceived causes of delays. The thematic analysis uncovered the nuances behind the causes of DTOC previously categorised broadly as 'provider capacity' and 'patient choice'. In particular, our analysis highlights the lack of fit between available provision and the needs of people leaving hospital (theme 1); workforce inconsistencies (theme 2) and a myth of patient choice (theme 3). We are now at a turning point in the development of policy to reduce DTOC in the English system, with the full implications of a new national discharge to assess programme yet to be seen. Our research shows the significance of the alignment of service capacity, including the type and location of provision, with the needs and preferences of those leaving hospital. As the new system becomes established, attendance to such nuances behind blockages in the system will be more important than ever.

Co-creating Digital Stories With UK-Based Stroke Survivors With the Aim of Synthesizing Collective Lessons From Individual Experiences of Interacting With Healthcare Professionals

Background

Stroke survivor narratives can provide valuable insight into experiences of healthcare and beyond. There is need to further understand collective lessons from stroke survivor narratives, yet prior studies utilizing digital storytelling tend to not synthesize lessons from individual experiences. This study aims to develop a novel method to co-create digital stories with stroke survivors that will aim to synthesize and portray important collective lessons from individual stroke survivors' experiences of interacting with healthcare professionals.

Methods

This study follows-up a qualitative study conducted with 30 stroke survivors exploring factors that help or hinder survivors to positively reconfigure their identity post-stroke. Five co-creation workshops were conducted with a subset of UK-based stroke survivors from this previous study. Participants were invited to join through: online workshops, an online bulletin board, and as an advisor. A four-stage workshop framework was developed through the integration of UK Design Council's Double Diamond method, digital storytelling strategies and the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) framework for developing behavioral change interventions.

Findings

Six online workshop participants (three male, three female; aged 33–63; time since stroke 2–16 years) co-created digital stories that share six collective lessons aimed at increasing empathy and encouraging behavior change in healthcare professionals (HCPs) working with stroke survivors. Online bulletin board participants (n = 1) and advisors (n = 5) supported the co-creation process. Collective lessons identified were: (1) Stroke has a variety of symptoms that must all be considered; (2) Stroke can affect anyone of any age and not just the elderly; (3) Assumptions should not be made about a survivor's lifestyle or habits; (4) It is important to acknowledge the person behind the stroke and ensure that they are communicated with and listened to; (5) Stroke survivors can often feel unprepared for the reality of life after stroke; (6) Adapting to life after stroke is a long-term process requiring long-term support.

Conclusion

Stroke survivor stories highlighted preconceptions, attitudes and behaviors embedded within healthcare that negatively impacted their experiences and recovery. The novel methodology employed in this study enabled these stories to be synthesized into collective lessons to bring about improvements in these behaviors in future.