Free RESEARCH WEBINAR:
Wednesday, May 25, 2016 
12 noon ET

Development and testing of a standardized communication form to improve transitions for nursing home residents  (CFN funded Catalyst Grant)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
 

One of the key findings from the Older Persons’ Transitions in Care (OPTIC) study is the need to improve communication among healthcare providers involved in the handover of frail elderly residents during transfers to and from the emergency department. These transitions from long-term care to emergency departments and back are facilitated by personnel from emergency medical services, long-term care and the emergency department.
Considering the many different types of healthcare personnel involved in these handovers, some information as simple as whether a resident owns eyeglasses, dentures, walking aids, etc. is often missed in documentation. Thereby, these personal assistive devices may not accompany the resident to the emergency department and back or possibly become lost during the transition. This failure to protect the vulnerable elderly resident and their belongings can leave them frightened and feeling unable to communicate at their assisted capacity.
We developed a communication form to pilot-test in a sample of transitions from nursing homes to the emergency department and back. Elements of the communication form were informed by previous research and include essential medical information, reference to documents, and personal assistive devices. Based on this pilot-test, we hope to confirm that a communication form used by all healthcare providers during transitions of care improves communication, resulting in better care for the frail elderly resident.

Dr. Greta Cummings, RN, PhD:  Dr. Cummings leads the CLEAR OUTCOMES (Connecting Leadership, Education & Research) research program and within it the Older Persons’ Transitions in Care (OPTIC) research program which examines the quality of transitions of frail elderly clients across three care settings: Continuing Care facilities, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Departments. We aim to develop, implement and evaluate interventions to avoid unnecessary transitions for frail seniors and to improve those that must occur. Within the OPTIC program, numerous studies are underway, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Technology Evaluation in the Elderly Network National Centre of Excellence, and the Covenant Health National Centre of Excellence in Seniors Health and Wellness. 

Tune in to our webinar series. Canadian Frailty Network believes that caring for the frail elderly is a complex, Canada-wide issue that requires multi-faceted, national strategies and solutions, and our monthly webinars are one way we bring together talented people to focus on this goal. Click here to view previous webinars, or to register for upcoming webinars.

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