Transitional care of older adults in skilled nursing facilities: A systematic review.
Journal Article (Journal Article;Review;Systematic Review)
Transitional care may be an effective strategy for preparing older adults for transitions from skilled nursing facilities (SNF) to home. In this systematic review, studies of patients discharged from SNFs to home were reviewed. Study findings were assessed (1) to identify whether transitional care interventions, as compared to usual care, improved clinical outcomes such as mortality, readmission rates, quality of life or functional status; and (2) to describe intervention characteristics, resources needed for implementation, and methodologic challenges. Of 1082 unique studies identified in a systematic search, the full texts of six studies meeting criteria for inclusion were reviewed. Although the risk for bias was high across studies, the findings suggest that there is promising but limited evidence that transitional care improves clinical outcomes for SNF patients. Evidence in the review identifies needs for further study, such as the need for randomized studies of transitional care in SNFs, and methodological challenges to studying transitional care for SNF patients.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Toles, M; Colón-Emeric, C; Asafu-Adjei, J; Moreton, E; Hanson, LC
Published Date
- 2016
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 37 / 4
Start / End Page
- 296 - 301
PubMed ID
- 27207303
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC4976010
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1528-3984
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2016.04.012
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States