Transitional care for older adults with chronic illness: A qualitative inquiry

Background

Improved public health strategies and medical advancements have expanded older adults' survival after acute insults from chronic diseases. The resultant increase in disability and care requirements among older adults is significant. However, transitional care interventions to support the efficient transition from acute care settings to home are primitive in developing countries like India.

Objective

This qualitative survey aimed to estimate the transitional care requirements of older adults with chronic illness discharged from acute care facilities.

Methods

Descriptive phenomenological approach was utilised for this qualitative study. The older adult-family caregiver dyads fulfilling the inclusion criteria were interviewed until the achievement of information saturation. The transcribed narratives between the researcher, older adults and their caregivers were thematically analysed. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) served as the framework for reporting this research.

Results

Thirteen older adult-caregiver dyads participated in the semi-structured interview, which yielded six themes. Older adults have a hidden self with characteristics ranging between a continuum of ‘insistence’ to ‘giving up’. Caregiver attributes identified from this inquiry were exhaustion, engagement and empowerment. The remaining four themes which constitute the framework for the ‘transitional care progression’ model include ‘complications are mature when identified among older adults’, ‘medication knowledge is proportionate with its compliance’, ‘ignorance of supportive care increases caregiver burden’ and ‘deficient follow-up practices compromise health’.

Conclusions

Transitional care for older adults with chronic illness is premature in developing countries. However, the needs of older adults with chronic disease and their caregivers evolved from the present study align with global perspectives. Themes generated from the current qualitative interview, blended with evidence-based interventions, yielded the transitional care progression model, which serves as the only available framework for implementing transitional care in the region.

Implications for Practice

Future research to establish the feasibility and validity of the ‘transitional care progression model’ is forecasted. The model requires inclusion within the healthcare curriculum. Professional nurses prepared to implement coordinated transitional care pathways are recommended.