How to Handle Care Transitions
I recently had a chance to listen in on a teleconference presentation about an eldercare topic that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it should: care transitions. The term refers to the vulnerable periods that take place when a patient moves from one health care environment to another (including home) as their needs change. Before release, the patient or an attending caregiver should:
- Understand where she’s going and what will happen after he or she arrives .
- Understand what her medications are, how to get them, and how to take them.
- Understand what symptoms I need to watch for, and what to do if I notice them.
- Have a follow-up appointment scheduled.
If not handled properly these “hand-offs” can be occasions for conflicting medical advice, uncertainty about medication, and insufficient follow-up care. Busy doctors don’t always realize what their patients don’t know, or what type of environment they’re moving into.
As a result, patients find themselves unsure of the proper medication and other critical information very soon after being released from a facility. This often leaves a stressed-out family caregiver scrambling to piece together the best information. All too often, the uncertainty leads to further treatment for the same condition.
Presented by the Rosalynn Carter Institute of Caregiving, the presentation was given by Dr. Eric Coleman, who has helped develop a promising “intervention” program that targets the common problems of care transitions.
While Dr. Coleman’s presentation was of special interest to caregiving professionals, it also highlighted some basic concepts that family caregivers — and care recipients — can put into action right away. Key among those is the ability to get critical information before leaving a facility.
More Resources:
For more complete checklists and other tools for better care transitions, visit Dr. Coleman’s Care Transitions Program.
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Filed under: Eldercare, Home Care Agencies, Housing
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