Conectar
To gain insight into healthcare professionals' perceptions and needs regarding hospital-to-home transitions.
Qualitative phenomenological study.
Hospital and primary care professionals participated in focus groups and interviews. Participants were recruited from a Dutch University hospital and from our networks between May and September 2023. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
We conducted seven focus groups and twelve interviews. Three themes emerged: “Collaboration and information exchange between professionals”, “Coordination and continuity of care”, and “Interaction between professionals, patients, and families”.
This study suggests that professionals would benefit from clear guidelines and arrangements for communication with colleagues to support care coordination and continuity. Collaboration and information sharing are essential for providing integrated, patient-centred care. Additionally, involving patients and families in decision-making regarding hospital-to-home transitions, in a way that considers their needs, is important for effective care.
This study highlights the importance of clear communication and collaboration between professionals to ensure continuity of care. It emphasises the need for integrated care, where patients and families are actively involved without being overwhelmed.
Transitions from hospital-to-home are often hindered by fragmented, non-individualised care. Improved collaboration, clear coordination, and patient-family involvement can address this. This research can positively impact professionals across different settings, policymakers, and advocacy groups aiming to improve integrated patient-centred care.
The interview guide was developed with professionals who reviewed it and provided feedback. Professionals provided us with their lived experiences by participating in interviews and focus groups.
This study adhered to the COREQ guidelines.
N.A
To examine factors, including symptom burden profiles and self-care, associated with quality of life among individuals with heart failure and multimorbidity.
A cross-sectional design.
353 adults aged 50 years or older with heart failure and at least one additional chronic condition were recruited from a university-affiliated hospital. Three symptom burden groups were identified (low, moderate, and high) through latent profile analysis of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale scores. The Heart Failure Self-care Index and EuroQoL-5D-5L measured self-care behaviours and quality of life. This study examined group differences and associations overall and stratified by symptom burden groups via multivariable linear regression.
A higher disease burden and the high symptom burden group compared to the low symptom burden group were associated with lower quality of life. Self-care maintenance was positively associated with a higher quality of life, but not in the high-burden group. Among individual symptoms, pain and depression were associated with lower quality of life. In the high-burden group, older age was positively associated with quality of life. Higher symptom burden groups included a greater proportion of women and middle-aged adults.
Symptom burden and self-care maintenance show significant associations with quality of life in multimorbidity. Symptom burden profiles identified through latent profile analysis may complement conventional approaches by targeting high-risk individuals, such as middle-aged individuals and women with high symptom burden, for follow-up and integrated multimorbidity management.
For healthcare providers, including nurses, these findings underscore the importance of holistic, symptom-based care approaches combined with routine support for self-care maintenance. Adopting a life-course approach, through early identification and management of high-risk individuals, may help promote aging in place with a better quality of life for those with heart failure and multimorbidity.
STROBE checklist.
No patient or public contribution.
To explore nurses' experiences of the adoption, implementation, and use of digital technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK.
A qualitative descriptive study.
A qualitative study using two data sources: qualitative responses from 55 respondents to an online survey, and data from in-depth interviews with 21 individuals. The NASSS framework was used to guide data collection and analysis. Data were analysed using framework analysis.
Respondents reported using a variety of technologies including video conferencing applications, telemonitoring, systems to support care management and telecommunication systems. The analysis identified a range of reasons why technology had been introduced into services, and a recognition of its value in a situation where otherwise care may not have been able to continue. During the pandemic nurses were expected to change their work practices very rapidly, and we identified situations where organisational infrastructure either supported this effectively or created additional burdens for the nurses' work.
Nurses had to adapt to new ways of working rapidly, with digital technology being one of the primary means through which communication and care were delivered. The Covid-19 pandemic provided a unique set of circumstances where layers of governance and many of the existing barriers to technology introduction were reduced.
It is important to learn from these experiences, to understand how to sustain innovations that have proved to be successful, as well as the factors that enable nurses to work effectively in this new environment.
This study adheres to the guidance for publishing qualitative research in informatics.
A public contributor was involved from the beginning of the study conceptualization. They had input into the study approach, were part of the team that acquired the funding for the study and gave input at various stages into the processes for data collection, analysis and writing up the findings. The public contributor is a co-author on this paper and has been involved in the writing and editing of this report.
FreshRSS 