Digital health tools can significantly contribute to the continuum of care and support for persons with their self-management role. Despite the increasing adoption of digital health tools, little is known about the uptake and comfort of use among older persons.
A mixed methods design was used to assess the feasibility and utility of the check-up (CU), a self-administered digital health assessment for older persons. For the older person, qualitative interviews and de-identified CU assessment data were collected. A focus group was held to gain the health provider perspective.
A total of 32 online CU assessments were completed, and 17 individuals participated in interviews. Three main themes were identified: digital literacy and accessibility, communication of risk and role within the circle of care.
Self-administered digital assessments are feasible for older adults. Strategies for adoption should focus on accessibility and collaboration with health professionals to maximise utility and understanding of assessment results.
Falls are a global public health problem and the second leading cause of death from unintentional injury. Globally, approximately 30%–50% of people living in nursing or residential care homes fall each year. Falls have an impact on quality of life and morbidity. Prevention of falls is gold standard care. When falls do occur, implementation of safe strategies to help the person rise is required. Structured risk assessment and the use of a ‘lifting’ cushion are one such strategy.
To evaluate the impact of the lifting cushion on management of falls and assess barriers and facilitators to staff use of the lifting cushion in 18 care homes.
Two-phase study involving (i) capturing quantitative pre- and post-cushion implementation data along with comparison of means testing and (ii) theoretically underpinned qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore barriers and facilitators to cushion implementation with inductive and deductive data analysis.
The cushion was used a total of 32 times out of 567 post-implementation recorded falls (6% of all falls). Barriers and facilitators to cushion use aligned to the Theoretical Domains Framework include knowledge, skills and confidence, emotion, beliefs about safety and decision processes, environmental context and resources and social influences.
The lifting cushion was poorly adopted. Identified barriers to adoption would not be addressed using routine train and cascade processes. We identified facilitators that could be enhanced to promote uptake. Theoretically underpinned implementation strategies, tailored to assess determinants, are known to be more effective; however, this approach has rarely been used in care homes. We have demonstrated a structured approach to implementation of cushion use; this may be transferable to other care home practices.
Cae home leaders should be aware that giving information alone will not change practice. Implementation or improvement strategies will be more effective.
Hospital readmission has a negative impact on older people and the healthcare system. Current hospital readmission research predominantly reports on clinical outcomes based on cross-sectional data. Research exploring patients' experiences and priorities is limited. This study aimed to explore older people's experiences of hospital readmission in order to develop an understanding of what matters most to them.
Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted to generate data that were analysed using principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Ten participants over 65 years old, who had experienced unplanned hospital readmission within a period of 30 days, were recruited from a large single tertiary referral centre. Four themes emerged: ‘All about me without me’, ‘Fragmented and ad hoc post-discharge support’, ‘My readmission experience and what led me back’ and ‘Segregated health and social services that are detached from people's needs’.
The study findings suggest that patients should be more involved in decisions about their care, and health professionals should endeavour to better understand the contexts, resources and access to formal and informal support of patients. Effective communication and stronger continuum of care could be a key to patients' recovery and avoidance of hospital readmission. This research highlights the importance of shared decision-making and patient-centred care to improve quality of care, maintain independence and preserve older adult's right to feel valued.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, older people in Sweden's residential care facilities and home care services experienced high mortality rates. Prior to the pandemic, the care of older people in Sweden was challenged by organisational and regulatory changes, an ageing population and insufficient increases in staff numbers. These issues led to high staff turnover, increased workloads, stress, burnout and a perceived inability to provide satisfactory care. The pandemic brought about increased job strain, stress, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among the staff who cared for older people. The aim of this study was therefore to focus on assistant nurses and care aides' experiences of their work environments when caring for older people during the pandemic in Sweden.
The data were collected through four focus groups interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis.
The results showed that the care staff had to navigate organisational and ethical challenges in poor and unsafe work environments. They lacked supportive leadership in their respective organisations, were neither valued, seen nor heard and were treated as ‘plain doers’. During the pandemic, they were unable to protect or communicate easily with the older people in their care, which had harsh consequences.
According to the participants, the pandemic left them, their working conditions and this part of the care system in a worse situation than before the pandemic. The pandemic thus revealed more unsustainable and unethical working conditions for the staff than before it, including the vulnerability of the older people in their care.
The findings highlights the need of policies that ensure adequate training and instruction on medical issues, for managers responsible for overseeing the care of older people. There are also a need of provision of sufficient support for care staff and health care professionals during crises. The findings also underscore the need of feasible and efficient strategies do disseminate care information and address the psychosocial needs of older people.
Graduate registered nurses (RNs) start their careers working in a variety of clinical areas including aged care. However, they may not be fully prepared to work in aged care settings that often require them to work independently as the only RN on the premises. A list of essential clinical skills is crucial for supporting the development and effective transition of graduate nurses into aged care.
To identify and rank a list of essential clinical skills for graduate RNs working in aged care settings on commencement of practice.
An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was applied and included a modified Delphi Study and semi-structured interviews. Five expert aged care RNs engaged in the three iterative Delphi rounds and five graduate aged care RNs were interviewed to confirm the clinical skills and ranking from their perspective. Quantitative data were presented through descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Thirty-six essential clinical skills for graduate RNs working in aged care settings were identified and ranked by the experienced aged care RNs. Graduate RNs supported this list of essential clinical skills on commencement and identified palliative care as an additional skill required by graduate RNs working in aged care.
The derived essential skills offer aged care a guided approach to ensure that graduate RNs are work-ready, safe practitioners and supported to work independently.
The study recommends the essential clinical skills for graduate nurses transitioning in their role as RNs in aged care that will support safe, quality clinical care.
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