A Concept Analysis of Patient Participation in Intermediate Care.

OBJECTIVE: Although the concept of patient participation has been discussed for a number of years, there is still no clear definition of what constitutes the multidimensional concept, and the application of the concept in an intermediate care (IC) context lacks clarity. Therefore this paper seeks to identify and explore the attributes of the concept, to elaborate ways of understanding the concept of patient participation for geriatric patients in the context of IC. METHODS: Walker and Avant's model of Concept analysis [1] based on a literature review. RESULTS: Patient participation in the context of IC can be defined as a dynamic process emphasizing the person as a whole, focusing on the establishment of multiple alliances that facilitate individualized information and knowledge exchange, and ensuring a reciprocal engagement in activities within flexible and interactive/dynamic organizational structures. CONCLUSION: Patient participation in IC means involving patients and their relatives in holistic interdisciplinary collaborative decision-making. The results highlight the complexity of patient participation and contribute to a greater understanding of the influence of organizational structure and management. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The present study may provide a practical framework for researchers, policy makers and health professionals to facilitate patient participation in IC services.

The second national audit of intermediate care.

Intermediate care services have developed internationally to expedite discharge from hospital and to provide an alternative to an emergency hospital admission. Inconsistencies in the evidence base and under-developed governance structures led to concerns about the care quality, outcomes and provision of intermediate care in the NHS. The National Audit of Intermediate Care was therefore established by an interdisciplinary group. The second national audit reported in 2013 and included crisis response teams, home-based and bed-based services in approximately a half of the NHS. The main findings were evidence of weak local strategic planning, considerable under-provision, delays in accessing the services and lack of mental health involvement in care. There was a very high level of positive patient experience reported across all types of intermediate care, though reported involvement with care decisions was less satisfactory.

Perceived quality of an alternative to acute hospitalization: an analytical study at a community hospital in Hallingdal, Norway.

There is growing international interest in the geography of health care provision, with health care providers searching for alternatives to acute hospitalization. In Norway, the government has recently legislated for municipal authorities to develop local health services for a selected group of patients, with a quality equal to or better than that provided by hospitals for emergency admissions. General practitioners in Hallingdal, a rural district in southern Norway, have for several years referred acutely somatically ill patients to a community hospital, Hallingdal sjukestugu (HSS). This article analyzes patients' perceived quality of HSS to demonstrate factors applicable nationally and internationally to aid in the development of local alternatives to general hospitals. We used a mixed-methods approach with questionnaires, individual interviews and a focus group interview. Sixty patients who were taking part in a randomized, controlled study of acute admissions at HSS answered the questionnaire. Selected patients were interviewed about their experiences and a focus group interview was conducted with representatives of local authorities, administrative personnel and health professionals. Patients admitted to HSS reported statistically significant greater satisfaction with several care aspects than those admitted to the general hospital. Factors highlighted by the patients were the quiet and homelike atmosphere; a small facility which allowed them a good overall view of the unit; close ties to the local community and continuity in the patient-staff relationship. The focus group members identified some overarching factors: an interdisciplinary and holistic approach, local ownership, proximity to local general practices and close cooperation with the specialist health services at the hospital. Most of these factors can be viewed as general elements relevant to the development of local alternatives to acute hospitalization both nationally and internationally. This study indicates that perceived quality should be one of the main motivations for developing alternatives to general hospital admissions.

[Cross sectional study of structural quality of German intensive care units. A reevaluation of the DIVI register]. / Querschnittstudie der Strukturqualität deutscher Intensivstationen. Eine Reevaluation der Strukturdaten des DIVI-Registers.

BACKGROUND: Effectiveness of intensive care treatment is essential to cope with increasing costs. The German national register of intensive care established by the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care Medicine (DIVI) contains basic data on the structure of intensive care units in Germany. A repeat analysis of data of the DIVI register within 8 years provides information for the development of intensive care units under different economic circumstances. METHODS: The recent data on the structure of intensive care units were obtained in 2008 and compared with the primary multicenter study from 2000. The hospitals selected were a representative sample for the whole of Germany. Data on the status of the hospital, staff and technical facilities, foundation of the hospital and the statistics of mechanically ventilated patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The technical facilities and the number of staff have improved from 2000 to 2008. A smaller availability of diagnostic procedures and staff remain in hospitals for basic treatment outside normal working hours. The average utilization of intensive care unit beds was not altered. The existence of intermediate care units did not significantly change the proportion of patients with artificial ventilation or ventilation times. The number of beds in intensive care units was unchanged as was the average number of beds in units and the number of patients treated. A relevant number of beds of intensive care units shifted towards hospitals with private foundation without changes in the overall numbers. The structure of the hospitals was comparable at both time points. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of intermediate care units did not alter ventilation parameters of patients in 2008 compared with 2000. There is no obvious medical reason for the shift of intensive care beds towards private hospitals. The number of staff and patients varied considerably between the intensive care units. The average number of patients treated per bed was not different between the periods or between hospitals with different structures. Overall availability of medical staff and diagnostic procedures increased during the study period. An increase of availability of fully trained medical staff in intensive care medicine is desirable to increase the quality of treatment.

Looking inside the black box of community rehabilitation and intermediate care teams in the United Kingdom: an audit of service and staffing.

OBJECTIVE: To generate a picture of the range, configuration and staffing of community and intermediate care services in the United Kingdom (UK) and to ascertain whether any relationships exist between service configuration and staffing models. METHOD: A service audit tool was sent to members of the Community Therapist's Network (CTN) and to chief executives of primary care and National Health Service trusts in the UK. Data were collected from the CTN and chief executives of primary care trusts (PCTs) and NHS trusts between late 2005 and early 2006. RESULTS: The overall response rate to the two audits was 37% (n = 243), with 77% of these responses (n = 186) useable. Services varied greatly in terms of their organisation and staffing configurations. Skill mix varied according to the location of service delivery, with home-based services utilising more therapy and support staff than inpatient services. Two clusters of service emerged, based on the number of referrals per year, support staff in the team and the level of care provided by the service. CONCLUSION: There are no clear patterns to the structure and organisation of community and intermediate care services in relation to their purpose, and it remains unclear how different staffing configurations impact on service costs and patient outcomes. The amount of variation observed indicates that there is likely to be considerable variability in service costs and outcomes for the teams. Further evidence is required to determine the impact of different staffing models, and to identify approaches that optimise both effectiveness and efficiency.

What are the first quality reports from the Transition Care Program in Australia telling us?

Transition Care is a new program in Australia, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments. Implementation is undertaken by state health departments, in some cases through aged care organisations, against a set of key requirements. This paper examines reports from providers to reveal enablers and barriers to compliance with the requirements and to highlight emerging patterns of practice. The first 23 self-reports were content analysed. Person-centred and goal-orientated care was evidenced. General practitioner, pharmacist and geriatrician involvement in care planning and review was low. While service agreements between Transition Care services, referring hospitals and community providers improved the efficiency of information transfer and discharge arrangements, these were rare, hindering entry and discharge from the program. Transition Care offers older people a flexible model of care. While the flexibility of the model is a strength, service providers are struggling to achieve integration with existing services.

The organisation, form and function of intermediate care services and systems in England: results from a national survey.

This paper reports the results of a postal survey of intermediate care coordinators (ICCs) on the organisation and delivery of intermediate care services for older people in England, conducted between November 2003 and May 2004. Questionnaires, which covered a range of issues with a variety of quantitative, tick-box and open-ended questions, were returned by 106 respondents, representing just over 35% of primary care trusts (PCTs). The authors discuss the role of ICCs, the integration of local systems of intermediate care provision, and the form, function and model of delivery of services described by respondents. Using descriptive and statistical analysis of the responses, they highlight in particular the relationship between provision of admission avoidance and supported discharge, the availability of 24-hour care, and the locations in which care is provided, and relate their findings to the emerging evidence base for intermediate care, guidance on implementation from central government, and debate in the literature. Whilst the expansion and integration of intermediate care appear to be continuing apace, much provision seems concentrated in supported discharge services rather than acute admission avoidance, and particularly in residential forms of post-acute intermediate care. Supported discharge services tend to be found in residential settings, while admission avoidance provision tends to be non-residential in nature. Twenty-four-hour care in non-residential settings is not available in several responding PCTs. These findings raise questions about the relationship between the implementation of intermediate care, and the evidence for and aims of the policy as part of National Health Service modernisation, and the extent to which intermediate care represents a genuinely novel approach to the care and rehabilitation of older people.

Networks and governance: the case of intermediate care.

The present paper describes a novel approach to the study of services conceptualised as networks. It uses data collected as part of a case study evaluation of intermediate care, a 'joined-up government' policy that was explicitly intended to dissolve the boundaries between health and social care services. The evaluation was undertaken in five localities in England. Routine service use data were collated and standardised for the 12-month period from November 2002 to October 2003. A cohort of 258 service users was recruited during a census month (June 2003), and more detailed data on their personal characteristics and experiences prior to and during their intermediate care episode were collected. Information was obtained for 153 of these people, covering their experience during the 6 months following discharge. A graphical method of depicting individuals' movements between services was devised and a number of measures were used to investigate the network-like features of the data. User outcomes were explored by examining the relationship of characteristics of service users to their location at 6 months after discharge. The results of the analyses show that the five sites were developing service configurations that facilitated transitions between health, social care and other services, and that individual needs were taken into account in the decisions made about which people transferred into which services. While the results cannot be said to show that joined-up government works, they are consistent with the argument that joined-up government goes beyond partnership-type concepts, and in practice, involves the creation of what might be termed integrated service networks.

Intermediate care and older people.

Intermediate care services are taking on an increasingly significant role in the rehabilitation and care of older people. It is vital that nurses and other members of the healthcare team have a good understanding of intermediate care.

Therapeutic nursing or unblocking beds? A randomised controlled trial of a post-acute intermediate care unit.

OBJECTIVES: To compare post-acute intermediate care in an inpatient nurse-led unit with conventional post-acute care on general medical wards of an acute hospital and to examine the model of care in a nurse-led unit. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial with six month follow up. SETTING: Urban teaching hospital and surrounding area, including nine community hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: 238 patients accepted for admission to nurse-led unit. INTERVENTIONS: Care in nurse-led unit or usual post-acute care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients' length of stay, functional status, subsequent move to more dependent living arrangement. RESULTS: Inpatient length of stay was significantly longer in the nurse-led unit than in general medical wards (14.3 days longer (95% confidence interval 7.8 to 20.7)), but this difference became non-significant when transfers to community hospitals were included in the measure of initial length of stay (4.5 days longer (-3.6 to 12.5)). No differences were observed in mortality, functional status, or living arrangements at any time. Patients in the nurse-led unit received significantly fewer minor medical investigations and, after controlling for length of stay, significantly fewer major reviews, tests, or drug changes. CONCLUSIONS: The nurse-led unit seemed to be a safe alternative to conventional management, but a full accounting of such units' place in the local continuum of care and the costs associated with acute hospitals managing post-acute patients is needed if nurse-led units are to become an effective part of the government's recent commitment to intermediate care.

Improving long-term rehabilitation.

The long-term problems of stroke are both physical and mental. Rehabilitation (active promotion of recovery), maintenance (active prevention of deterioration), and care (support for those with disabilities) are intertwined elements of service provision aimed at reducing these problems. Over time, the prevention of deterioration becomes dominant. Currently there is interest in 'intermediate care'--services aiming to provide choices other than inadequate care at home, inappropriate care in hospital, or expensive care in long-term institutions. There is also interest in stroke coordinators to manage community services. These developments have exposed problems of inequity (e.g. minority groups) and service provision (e.g. a shortage of trained staff). This had led to experiments in novel approaches such as generic workers and co-workers. There is interest too in examining ways in which the social and built environment can be altered to increase the participation of disabled people in society.

Case management: integrating roles in the subacute setting.

Nurses have great potential to advance the professional practice of nurse case management in the subacute care industry. This health care setting has created a new arena in which nursing may adapt and redefine the role of the case manager to meet the needs of an integrated system of outcomes based health care. Through cooperation and collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, the nurse case manager increases the cost effectiveness of care and enhances patient outcomes.