The complexities of communication at hospital discharge of older patients: a qualitative study of healthcare professionals' views.

BACKGROUND: Hospital discharge of older patients is a high-risk situation in terms of patient safety. Due to the fragmentation of the healthcare system, communication and coordination between stakeholders are required at discharge. The aim of this study was to explore communication in general and medication information transfer in particular at hospital discharge of older patients from the perspective of healthcare professionals (HCPs) across different organisations within the healthcare system. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using focus group and individual or group interviews with HCPs (physicians, nurses and pharmacists) across different healthcare organisations in Sweden. Data were collected from September to October 2021. A semi-structured interview guide including questions on current medication communication practices, possible improvements and feedback on suggestions for alternative processes was used. The data were analysed thematically, guided by the systematic text condensation method. RESULTS: In total, four focus group and three semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 HCPs. Three main themes were identified: 1) Support systems that help and hinder describes the use of support systems in the discharge process to compensate for the fragmentation of the healthcare system and the impact of these systems on HCPs' communication; 2) Communication between two separate worlds depicts the difficulties in communication experienced by HCPs in different healthcare organisations and how they cope with them; and 3) The large number of medically complex patients disrupts the communication reveals how the highly pressurised healthcare system impacts on HCPs' communication at hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Communication at hospital discharge is hindered by the fragmented, highly pressurised healthcare system. HCPs are at risk of moral distress when coping with communication difficulties. Improved communication methods at hospital discharge are needed for the benefit of both patients and HCPs.

The impact of stroke on the ability to live an independent life at old age: a community-based cohort study of Swedish men.

INTRODUCTION: Few studies with controls from the same cohort have investigated the impact of stroke on the ability to live an independent life at old age. We aimed to analyze how great an impact being a stroke survivor would have on cognition and disability. We also analyzed the predictive value of baseline cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: We included 1147 men, free from stroke, dementia, and disability, from the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men, between 69-74 years of age. Follow-up data were collected between the ages of 85-89 years and were available for 481 of all 509 survivors. Data on stroke diagnosis were obtained through national registries. Dementia was diagnosed through a systematic review of medical charts and in accordance with the current diagnostic criteria. The primary outcome, preserved functions, was a composite outcome comprising four criteria: no dementia, independent in personal activities of daily living, ability to walk outside unassisted, and not living in an institution. RESULTS: Among 481 survivors with outcome data, 64 (13%) suffered a stroke during the follow-up. Only 31% of stroke cases, compared to 72% of non-stroke cases (adjusted OR 0.20 [95% CI 0.11-0.37]), had preserved functions. The chance of being free of dementia was 60% lower in the stroke group, OR 0.40 [95% CI 0.22-0.72]. No cardiovascular risk factors were independently able to predict preserved functions among stroke cases. CONCLUSION: Stroke has long lasting consequences for many aspects of disability at very high age.

Assessment of requests for medication-related follow-up after hospital discharge, and the relation to unplanned hospital revisits, in older patients: a multicentre retrospective chart review.

BACKGROUND: The discharge of older hospitalised patients is critical in terms of patient safety. Inadequate transfer of information about medications to the next healthcare provider is a known problem, but there is a lack of understanding of this problem in settings where shared electronic health records are used. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of patients for whom hospitals sent adequate requests for medication-related follow-up at discharge, the proportion of patients with unplanned hospital revisits because of inadequate follow-up requests, and the association between medication reviews performed during hospitalisation and adequate or inadequate follow-up requests. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review. The study population was randomly selected from a cluster-randomised crossover trial which included patients 65 years or older who had been admitted to three hospitals in Sweden with shared electronic health records between hospital and primary care. Each patient was assessed with respect to the adequacy of the request for follow-up. For patients where the hospitals sent inadequate requests, data about any unplanned hospital revisits were collected, and we assessed whether the inadequate requests had contributed to the revisits. The association between medication reviews and adequate or inadequate requests was analysed with a Chi-square test. RESULTS: A total of 699 patients were included. The patients' mean age was 80 years; an average of 10 medications each were prescribed on hospital admission. The hospitals sent an adequate request for 418 (60%) patients. Thirty-eight patients (14%) had a hospital revisit within six months of discharge which was related to an inadequate request. The proportion of adequate or inadequate requests did not differ between patients who had received a medication review during hospitalisation and those who had not (p = 0.83). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of patients for whom the hospitals sent adequate follow-up requests on discharge was low. More than one in every ten who had an inadequate request revisited hospital within six months of discharge for reasons related to the request. Medication reviews conducted during hospitalisation did not affect the proportion of adequate or inadequate requests sent. A communication gap still exists despite the usage of a shared electronic health record between primary and secondary care levels.

Reverse Dipping of Systolic Blood Pressure Is Associated With Increased Dementia Risk in Older Men: A Longitudinal Study Over 24 Years.

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The impact of muscle function, muscle mass and sarcopenia on independent ageing in very old Swedish men.

BACKGROUND: Preserved functions of daily life and cognition are cornerstones of independent aging, which is crucial for maintaining a high quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of sarcopenia, and its underlying components, on independent ageing in a cohort study of very old men. METHODS: The presence of sarcopenia and independent ageing at a mean age of 87 was investigated in 287 men from the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men. Five years later 127 men were re-evaluated for independent ageing. Sarcopenia was defined by two different definitions from the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. In the first definition sarcopenia was defined as skeletal muscle index < 7.26 kg/m2 and either gait speed ≤0.8 m/s or hand grip strength < 30 kg. In the later up-dated definition, HGS < 27 kg and/or chair stand test > 15 s defines probable sarcopenia, which is confirmed by SMI < 7.0 kg/m2. Independent ageing was defined as a Mini-Mental State Examination score of ≥25 points, absence of diagnosed dementia, community-dwelling, independency in personal care and ability to walk outdoors alone. RESULTS: Sarcopenia at baseline was observed in 21% (60/287) and 20% (58/287), respectively, due to definition. The prevalence of independent ageing was 83% (239/288) at baseline and 69% (87/127) five years later. None of the sarcopenia diagnoses were associated with independent ageing. In contrast, gait speed was both in cross-sectional (odds ratio (OR) per one standard deviation increase 2.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-3.15), and in longitudinal multivariate analyses (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.19-2.82). In the cross-sectional analysis also higher hand grip strength was associated with independent ageing (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.12-2.22), while a slower chair stand test was inversely associated (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.43-0.86). Muscle mass; i.e. skeletal muscle index, was not associated with independent ageing. CONCLUSIONS: For very old men, especially a higher gait speed, but also a higher hand grip strength and a faster chair stand test, were associated with independent ageing, while skeletal muscle index alone, and the composite sarcopenia phenotype measured with two different definitions, were not.

Predictors of Independent Aging and Survival: A 16-Year Follow-Up Report in Octogenarian Men.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the longitudinal associations between aging with preserved functionality, i.e. independent aging and survival, and lifestyle variables, dietary pattern and cardiovascular risk factors. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Swedish men (n = 1,104) at a mean age of 71 (range 69.4-74.1) were investigated, 369 of whom were evaluated for independent aging 16 years later, at a mean age of 87 (range 84.8-88.9). MEASUREMENTS: A questionnaire was used to obtain information on lifestyle, including education, living conditions, and physical activity. Adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet was assessed according to a modified Mediterranean Diet Score derived from 7-day food records. Cardiovascular risk factors were measured. Independent aging at a mean age of 87 was defined as lack of diagnosed dementia, a Mini-Mental State Examination score of 25 or greater, not institutionalized, independence in personal activities of daily living, and ability to walk outdoors alone. Complete survival data at age 85 were obtained from the Swedish Cause of Death Register. RESULTS: Fifty-seven percent of the men survived to age 85, and 75% of the participants at a mean age of 87 displayed independent aging. Independent aging was associated with never smoking (vs current) (odds ratio (OR) = 2.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-4.60) and high (vs low) adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet (OR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.14-6.80). Normal weight or overweight and waist circumference of 102 cm or less were also associated with independent aging. Similar associations were observed with survival. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle factors such as never smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, and not being obese at age 71 were associated with survival and independent aging at age 85 and older in men.

Modifiable midlife risk factors, independent aging, and survival in older men: report on long-term follow-up of the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men cohort.

OBJECTIVES: To examine relationships between modifiable midlife factors, aging, and physical and cognitive function (independent aging) and survival in very old age. DESIGN: Prospective cohort. SETTING: Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men, Uppsala, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Swedish men investigated in 1970-74 (aged 48.6-51.1) and followed up for four decades (N=2,293). MEASUREMENTS: Conventional cardiovascular risk factors, body mass index (BMI), and dietary biomarkers were measured, and a questionnaire was used to gather information on lifestyle variables at age 50. Four hundred seventy-two men were reinvestigated in 2008-09 (aged 84.8-88.9). Independent aging was defined as survival to age 85, Mini-Mental State Examination score of 25 or greater, not living in an institution, independent in personal care and hygiene, able to walk outdoors without personal help, and no diagnosis of dementia. The National Swedish Death Registry provided survival data. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of the cohort survived to age 85. Seventy-four percent of the participants in 2008-09 were aging independently. In univariable analyses, high leisure-time physical activity predicted survival but not independent aging. Low work-time physical activity was associated more strongly with independent aging (odds ratio (OR)=1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.18-2.88) than with survival (OR=1.27, 95% CI=1.05-1.52). In multivariable analyses, midlife BMI was negatively associated (OR=0.80/SD, 95% CI=0.65-0.99/SD), and never or former smoking was positively associated (OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.07-2.59), with independent aging. As expected, conventional cardiovascular and lifestyle risk factors were associated with mortality. CONCLUSION: A normal midlife BMI and not smoking were associated with independent aging close to four decades later, indicating that normal weight at midlife has the potential not only to increase survival, but also to preserve independence with aging.