Care Delivery Models Research Articles

TB programme stakeholder views on lessons from the COVID-19 response in South Africa.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has reversed many of the hard-won gains made in TB programmes and the associated reduction in the number of TB deaths, case notifications and incidence over the last three decades. Modelling estimates show that the impact will be lasting. There are global calls to recover the shortfalls along the TB care cascade that have resulted from COVID-19, with the recognition that the COVID-19 response holds lessons to inform more robust and comprehensive TB programmes and services. To explore lessons from response measures to the COVID-19 pandemic in two high TB burden South African provinces. This was an exploratory qualitative study. We conducted interviews with TB programme stakeholders (managers and facility-level staff: n = 35) between February and June 2022. We identified eight facilitators of the COVID-19 response, including political will, rapid policy development, multi-sectoral collaboration, patient-centred models of care delivery, community engagement, mHealth and telehealth technologies, rigorous contact tracing and widespread mask wearing. Political will was singled out as a critical driver of the response. Leveraging COVID-19 inspired collaborations, technologies and avenues for health service delivery is an opportunity to maximise benefits for the TB programme. Reinvestment in national TB programmes and political prioritisation of TB are critical.

Kidney Transplant Clinicians’ Perceptions of Palliative Care for Patients With Failing Allografts in the US: A Mixed Methods Study

Kidney transplant patients with failing allografts have a physical and psychological symptom burden as well as high morbidity and mortality. Palliative care is underutilized in this vulnerable population. We described kidney transplant clinicians' perceptions of palliative care to delineate their perceived barriers to and facilitators of providing palliative care to this population. National explanatory sequential mixed methods study including an online survey and semistructured interviews. Kidney transplant clinicians in the United States surveyed and interviewed from October 2021 to March2022. Descriptive summary of survey responses, thematic analysis of qualitative interviews, and mixed methods integration of data. A total of 149 clinicians completed the survey, and 19 completed the subsequent interviews. Over 90% of respondents agreed that palliative care can be helpful for patients with a failing kidney allograft. However, 46% of respondents disagreed that all patients with failing allografts benefit from palliative care, and two-thirds thought that patients would not want serious illness conversations. More than 90% of clinicians expressed concern that transplant patients and caregivers would feel scared or anxious if offered palliative care. The interviews identified three main themes: (1) transplant clinicians' unique sense of personal and professional responsibility was a barrier to palliative care engagement, (2) clinicians' uncertainty regarding the timing of palliative care collaboration would lead to delayed referral, and (3) clinicians felt challenged by factors related to patients' cultural backgrounds and identities, such as language differences. Many comments reflected an unfamiliarity with the broad scope of palliative care beyond end-of-life care. Potential selection bias. Our study suggests that multiple barriers related to patients, clinicians, health systems, and health policies may pose challenges to the delivery of palliative care for patients with failing kidney transplants. This study illustrates the urgent need for ongoing efforts to optimize palliative care delivery models dedicated to kidney transplant patients, their families, and the clinicians who serve them. Kidney transplant patients experience physical and psychological suffering in the context of their illnesses that may be amenable to palliative care. However, palliative care is often underutilized in this population. In this mixed-methods study, we surveyed 149 clinicians across the United States, and 19 of them completed semistructured interviews. Our study results demonstrate that several patient, clinician, system, and policy factors need to be addressed to improve palliative care delivery to this vulnerable population.

The impact of COVID-19 on the care of diabetic foot ulcers: a scoping review protocol

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant and on-going impact on the delivery of health and social care services across the globe due to imposed restrictions required to control the spread of the virus. This, undoubtedly, impacted population health through disruption to healthcare services and delayed delivery of care. The impact of these restrictions and precautions were especially pertinent to those who were deemed at high risk of developing complications from COVID-19, for example, those living with chronic disease and significant comorbidities including diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic foot ulceration (DFU). Objectives: The objectives of this scoping review are to conduct a systematic search of the literature to identify the nature and extent of the research evidence to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacted and disrupted the care of DFU and the subsequent impact on patient outcomes. Secondly, to identify transformation in models of care and service delivery, adoption of new technologies and new models of service innovations including modalities such as telehealth that were adopted during the pandemic. Methods: This systematic scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Discussion: It is well established that DFU are a devastating complication of DM that cause significant morbidity and mortality, however, there is a need to establish the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on those living with DFU during the pandemic. We will synthesise and appraise the current literature to provide an in depth understanding of the impact of COVID-19 and the global response on the care of DFU including radical transformation in models of care and service delivery, adoption of new technologies and new models of service innovations, including modalities such as telehealth.

7 Designing and testing an integrated community care model with a remote home monitoring-alert device: a pilot study in Japan

Abstract Background An integrated model of health and social care in the community has been considered to be the gold standard, although many obstacles and challenges still exist. Living at one’s private home for as long as one wishes requires highly personalised arrangements, and therefore is costly, but assistive technologies can potentially facilitate this. In order to test the concept, a remote monitoring and care delivery system was developed. The usability and efficacy of the model were examined. Methods Sensor devices (biometric, temperature sensor and infrared camera sensor) were set up in the homes of five older people (aged 70 years and over), and the information was sent online to each older person, plus his/her family and caregivers. Using these devices, fifteen care professionals delivered home care and remotely supported the home life of the older adults between December 2022 and January 2023. A pre-post study design was adopted, collecting the System Usability Score (SUS), the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the InterRAI assessments. The participating older adults and family members all consented to the research, which involved being observed or watched (all images are silhouettes only) when the system was in operation. Results Remote monitoring with alerts and two-way communication functions was highly valued by caregivers, as it provided an alternative model of care delivery, particularly for those living alone. While the device usability was not highly rated (D), several improvements in ICF and InterRAI scores were recorded (e.g. interpersonal communication, self-care, depressive tendencies). Conclusion While more research is necessary to increase the sample size and the duration of the data collection period, there is great potential for this model, embedding the use of assistive technologies into home care delivery. The study was funded in part by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (22he2002023j0002).

LPNs in modified care delivery models

Learn how one hospital’s new delivery model enhanced staff and patient satisfaction.

Medicare introduces GUIDE model of dementia care delivery.

Medicare introduces GUIDE model of dementia care delivery.

NC InCK: A Case Study in Whole-Child Care.

North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids (NC InCK) is a pilot health care delivery and payment model for Medicaid-enrolled children in five North Carolina counties. We describe early learnings from the NC InCK approach to promote the vision of whole-child health for children in North Carolina.

The influence of nursing leaders' behavior on nurses' job satisfaction: A quantitative study in Hail, Saudi Arabia

This cross-sectional quantitative study investigates the intricate relationships between the demographic characteristics of nurses and their perceptions of leader behavior and job satisfaction within the healthcare context of Hail, Saudi Arabia. The primary aim is to establish the pertinence of nursing leaders' behaviors in shaping the perceptions and job satisfaction levels of nursing professionals. A sample of 716 nurses was selected using a simple random sampling method, with participants completing questionnaires administered through online software. Two validated instruments were employed: the 19-item Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ), exhibiting excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha of 0.955), and the 20-item Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), also demonstrating excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha of 0.968). Results indicate a moderate level of job satisfaction with a significant association observed with respect to age. However, nurses' perceptions of nursing leaders' behaviors did not exhibit significant variations concerning age, education, or experience. Similarly, no substantial correlations were found between job satisfaction, experience, and education. These findings align with previous studies, emphasizing that job satisfaction is primarily contingent on a supportive work environment rather than organizational structure or nursing care delivery models. Consequently, the behavior of leaders towards their staff emerges as a crucial determinant of staff satisfaction, offering a substantial solution for staff retention and fostering a positive work culture. Such improvements can enhance staff competence, skills, and overall quality, ultimately ensuring the provision of safe patient care.

Academic-Practice Partnership to Strengthen Nursing Care of Older Adults

A long-standing academic-practice partnership was leveraged to facilitate student learning opportunities pertaining to care provision for older adults living with multiple chronic conditions and complex medical problems. Students from a gerontological nursing course in an accelerated baccalaureate nursing program were partnered with gerontology-educated population health nurses in primary care settings. Students observed how population health nurses integrated the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Age-Friendly 4Ms framework into clinical practice as they performed behavioral, psychosocial, and biometric health risks assessments for older adults during their Medicare annual wellness visit. The population health nurses served as role models for professional delivery of age-friendly care including preventative health and wellness care. Student confidence and perception of their understanding of age-friendly and gerontological nursing care improved. Post clinical experience debrief sessions and clinical reflection assignments demonstrated students' admiration of the expansive role and person-centered approach that population health nurses undertake to ensure comprehensive assessment and wellness promotion. Students appreciated the fluidity of population health nurses' conversation regarding the things that matter most to older adults with complex medical conditions.

Moving toward targeted eating disorder care for transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive patients in the United States.

Literature suggests that transgender, non-binary, and/or gender expansive (TNG) people are more likely than cisgender peers to experience eating disorders (EDs) and engage in dangerous weight control behaviors. TNG individuals with EDs are dramatically higher risk for self-harm behaviors, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behaviors than cisgender peers with EDs or TNG peers without EDs, and often engage in ED symptoms/behaviors to alleviate gender dysphoria. Yet, no treatment paradigms have yet been adapted for TNG-specific ED care. This qualitative study aims to identify stakeholder needs from such care to inform future clinical interventions. We elicited patient (n = 12) and mental health clinician (n = 9) stakeholder needs and preferences regarding TNG-specific ED care. Semi-structured interview guides informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and a behavioral insights framework, EAST, were developed to ensure uniform inclusion and sequencing of topics and allow for valid comparison across interviews. Using a rapid analysis procedure, we produced a descriptive analysis for each group identifying challenges of and opportunities in providing ED care for TNG adults. Stakeholders expressed needs and preferences for TNG-specific treatment including that it be: (1) TNG-affirming, weight-inclusive, trauma-informed, and anti-racist; (2) delivered by an interdisciplinary team, including gender-affirming care clinicians; (3) focused on parsing gender dysphoria from other body image concerns, building distress tolerance, and working toward gender euphoria (rather than body acceptance). Future work is needed exploring ED care delivery models that integrate gender-affirming care services with mental health care. Such models may improve TNG access to ED treatment and recovery. Transgender, non-binary, and/or gender expansive (TNG) experience disproportionately high rates of eating disorders and have unique barriers to accessing care. In individual interviews, TNG adults with eating disorders and mental health clinicians who provide psychotherapy for eating disorders voiced desire for greater availability of TNG-affirming, weight-inclusive eating disorder care, integrated with other gender-affirming care services. This informs future research developing eating disorder care for TNG individuals.

Healthcare Service Quality Evaluation in a Community-Oriented Primary Care Center, Italy.

Community-oriented primary care (COPC) is an inclusive healthcare approach that combines individual care with a population-based outlook, striving to offer effective and equitable services. This study concentrates on assessing the perceived quality of a "Casa della Comunità" (CdC) implemented by the Romagna Local Health Authority, which embraces the COPC model. Through the examination of user experiences, the study aims to comprehend the influence of the CdC's care delivery model on the community's perception of service quality. From 13-18 March 2023, paper questionnaires were distributed by trained healthcare professionals and volunteers. The cross-sectional study enrolled participants aged 18 or older, capable of understanding written Italian, and willing to take part voluntarily. A total of 741 questionnaires were collected, resulting in an overall acceptance rate of 85.6%. Among the respondents, 37.9% were female, with an average age of 55.4 ± 16.2 years. While the respondents generally held a positive view of the quality, the results displayed varying levels of satisfaction across the different areas. Multivariate analysis revealed significant associations between factors such as gender, employment status, financial resources, education level, and distance from the healthcare center with the perceived quality of the facility in terms of accessibility, environment, staff, continuity of care, and overall satisfaction. The study yielded valuable insights, identifying strengths and areas for improvement and underscoring the importance of ongoing monitoring studies to enhance patient satisfaction continuously.

Leveraging Implementation Science to Integrate Digital Mental Health Interventions as part of Routine Care in a Practice Research Network.

The supply / demand issue in behavioral health care is a well-established fact, and the mental health toll of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to add challenges to an already taxed system. Existing healthcare models are not set up to adequately address the increasing mental health related needs. As such, innovative models are needed to provide patients with access to appropriate, evidence-based behavioral health care within routine clinical care. This paper introduces Precision Behavioral Health (PBH) as an example of such a model. PBH is an innovative, digital first care delivery model that provides an ecosystem of evidence-based digital mental health interventions to patients as a frontline behavioral health treatment within routine care in a large multispecialty group medical center in the United States. This paper describes the implementation of PBH within a practice research network set-up as part of an integrated behavioral health department. We will present how our team leveraged the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance; "What is RE-AIM?," n.d.) implementation science framework, which emphasizes the design, dissemination, and implementation processes at the individual, staff, and organizational levels, to prioritize key implementation constructs to enhance the successful integration of PBH within routine care. We describe how each of these constructs were operationalized to aid data gathering for rapid evaluation and lessons learned. We discuss the benefits of these types of initiatives across multiple stakeholders including patients, providers, organizations, payers, and digital intervention vendors.

Restructuring lung cancer care to accelerate diagnosis and treatment in patients vulnerable to healthcare disparities using an innovative care model

The diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer is challenged by complex diagnostic pathways and fragmented care that can lead to disparities for vulnerable patients. Our model involved a multi-institutional, multidisciplinary conference to address the complexity of lung cancer care in vulnerable patient populations. The conference was conducted using a process adapted from the problem-solving method entitled FastTrack, pioneered by General Electric. Conference attendees established critical social determinants of health specific to lung cancer and designed a practical care model to accelerate diagnosis and treatment in this population. The resulting care delivery model, the Lung Cancer Strategist Program (LCSP), was led by a lung cancer trained advanced practice provider (APP) to expedite diagnosis, surgical and oncologic consultation, and treatment of a suspicious lung nodule. We compared the timeliness of care, care efficiency, and oncologic outcomes in 100 LCSP patients and 100 routine referral patients at the same thoracic surgery clinic. Patient triage through our integrated care model transitioned initial referral evaluation to a lung cancer trained APP to coordinate multidisciplinary patient-centered care that was highly individualized and significantly reduced the time to diagnosis and treatment among vulnerable patients at high-risk for treatment delay due to healthcare disparities.•To develop the Lung Cancer Strategist Program care model, we used a three-step (Design, Meeting, and Culmination), team-based, problem-solving process entitled FastTrack.•An advantage of FastTrack is its ability to overcome barriers embedded within hierarchal and institutional social systems, empowering those closest to the relevant issue to propose and enact meaningful change.•Under this framework, we engaged a diverse field of experts to assess systemic barriers in lung cancer care and design an innovative care pathway to improve the timeliness and efficiency of lung cancer care in patients at risk for healthcare disparities.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays in diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases endemic to southeastern USA

BackgroundThe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was marked by an increase in diagnosis and treatment delays for a range of medical conditions. Yet the impact of the pandemic on the management of tick-borne diseases, which frequently manifest as an acute febrile illness similar to COVID-19, has not been well described.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study of patients with suspected tick-borne disease attending the University of North Carolina Health facilities, we compared the timeliness of diagnosis and treatment in a “pre-COVID” period (March 2019 to February 2020) and a “post-COVID” period (March 2020 to February 2021). Participants included patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis code of spotted fever group rickettsiosis or ehrlichiosis and a positive Rickettsiarickettsii or Ehrlichia indirect immunofluorescence assay immunoglobulin G antibody test result. Of the 897 patients who had an eligible diagnosis, 240 (26.8%) met the inclusion criteria. The main outcome was time from initial presentation to definitive diagnosis and treatment.ResultsDuring the 2-year study period, 126 (52.5%) patients were grouped in the pre-COVID period and 114 (47.5%) were grouped in the post-COVID period; 120 (50.0%) were female; and 139 (57.9%) were aged > 50 years. Comparing the post-COVID to the pre-COVID period, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for delay in treatment > 0 days was 1.81 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–3.07, P = 0.03), and for a treatment delay > 7 days, 1.65 (95% CI 0.94–2.90, P = 0.08). The odds of a delay in diagnosis were similar for patients in the post- and pre-COVID periods, with an aOR of 1.61 (95% CI 0.96–2.72, P = 0.07) for delays > 0 days, and aOR of 1.72 (95% CI 0.99–3.00, P = 0.05) for delays > 7 days.ConclusionsThe odds of a delay in treatment > 0 days were significantly higher in the post-COVID period than in the pre-COVID period. However, the odds of a delay in treatment > 7 days, or a delay in diagnosis, were similar between these two periods. Shifts in care-seeking, alternative care delivery models and prioritization of COVID-19 may contribute to diminished timeliness of treatment for patients with tick-borne diseases.Graphical

A Nurse-Led Care Delivery App and Telehealth System for Patients Requiring Wound Care: Mixed Methods Implementation and Evaluation Study.

Innovative solutions to nursing care are needed to address nurse, health system, patient, and caregiver concerns related to nursing wellness, work flexibility and control, workforce retention and pipeline, and access to patient care. One innovative approach includes a novel health care delivery model enabling nurse-led, off-hours wound care (PocketRN) to triage emergent concerns and provide additional patient health education via telehealth. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the implementation of PocketRN from the perspective of nurses and patients. Patients and part-time or per-diem, wound care-certified and generalist nurses were recruited through the Stanford Medicine Advanced Wound Care Center in 2021 and 2022. Qualitative data included semistructured interviews with nurses and patients and clinical documentation review. Quantitative data included app use and brief end-of-interaction in-app satisfaction surveys. This pilot study suggests that an app-based nursing care delivery model is acceptable, clinically appropriate, and feasible. Low technology literacy had a modest effect on initial patient adoption; this barrier was addressed with built-in outreach and by simplifying the patient experience (eg, via phone instead of video calls). This approach was acceptable for users, despite total patient enrollment and use numbers being lower than anticipated (N=49; 17/49, 35% of patients used the app at least once beyond the orientation call). We interviewed 10 patients: 7 who had used the app were satisfied with it and reported that real-time advice after hours reduced anxiety, and 3 who had not used the app after enrollment reported having other resources for health care advice and noted their perception that this tool was meant for urgent issues, which did not occur for them. Interviewed nurses (n=10) appreciated working from home, and they reported comfort with the scope of practice and added quality of care facilitated by video capabilities; there was interest in additional wound care-specific training for nonspecialized nurses. Nurses were able to provide direct patient care over the web, including the few participating nurses who were unable to perform in-person care (n=2). This evaluation provides insights into the integration of technology into standard health care services, such as in-clinic wound care. Using in-system nurses with access to electronic medical records and specialized knowledge facilitated app integration and continuity of care. This care delivery model satisfied nurse desires for flexible and remote work and reduced patient anxiety, potentially reducing postoperative wound care complications. Feasibility was negatively impacted by patients' technology literacy and few language options; additional patient training, education, and language support are needed to support equitable access. Adoption was impacted by a lack of perceived need for additional care; lower-touch or higher-acuity settings with a longer wait between visits could be a better fit for this type of nurse-led care.

Improving the Quality of Postpartum Care in Ghana: Protocol for a Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial.

Although the postpartum period poses substantial risks and can result in significant maternal morbidity and mortality, postpartum care of the mother receives much less attention in transitional countries. We describe the protocol for a randomized controlled trial to implement and evaluate a postpartum care delivery model titled Focused-PPC (Focused Postpartum Care). Focused-PPC is an integrated group postpartum care model that meets the clinical care, education, and support needs of mothers up to 1 year after birth. The Focused-PPC intervention is a parallel randomized controlled trial with a total of 192 postpartum women at 4 health centers in Tamale, Ghana. Participants will be randomized into 1 of 2 trial arms at a 1:1 allocation ratio: (1) the control arm, which receives the standard postnatal care currently delivered in health facilities, or (2) the intervention arm, which receives the Focused-PPC model of care. Women enrolled in the intervention arm will receive postpartum clinical assessments and education for the first 6 weeks and will continue to receive education, measures of vital signs, and peer support for 12 months post partum during child welfare visits. Led by trained midwives, each postpartum group in the intervention arm will meet at 1-2 weeks, 6 weeks, and monthly thereafter for up to 1 year post partum, following the Ghana Health Service postnatal care schedule. The Focused-PPC guide, data collection tools, and audiovisual education materials were successfully developed and translated into the local language. We have enrolled and conducted baseline surveys for 192 women (sample size met) in the Focused-PPC trial who have been randomized into intervention and control arms. We have established a total of 12 Focused-PPC groups in the intervention arm, 3 groups from each site, all of which have sessions underway. Focused-PPC has the potential to change the postpartum care delivery model in Ghana and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05280951; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05280951. DERR1-10.2196/47519.

Designing Interoperable Health Care Services Based on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources: Literature Review.

With the advent of the digital economy and the aging population, the demand for diversified health care services and innovative care delivery models has been overwhelming. This trend has accelerated the urgency to implement effective and efficient data exchange and service interoperability, which underpins coordinated care services among tiered health care institutions, improves the quality of oversight of regulators, and provides vast and comprehensive data collection to support clinical medicine and health economics research, thus improving the overall service quality and patient satisfaction. To meet this demand and facilitate the interoperability of IT systems of stakeholders, after years of preparation, Health Level 7 formally introduced, in 2014, the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard. It has since continued to evolve. FHIR depends on the Implementation Guide (IG) to ensure feasibility and consistency while developing an interoperable health care service. The IG defines rules with associated documentation on how FHIR resources are used to tackle a particular problem. However, a gap remains between IGs and the process of building actual services because IGs are rules without specifying concrete methods, procedures, or tools. Thus, stakeholders may feel it nontrivial to participate in the ecosystem, giving rise to the need for a more actionable practice guideline (PG) for promoting FHIR's fast adoption. This study aimed to propose a general FHIR PG to facilitate stakeholders in the health care ecosystem to understand FHIR and quickly develop interoperable health care services. We selected a collection of FHIR-related papers about the latest studies or use cases on designing and building FHIR-based interoperable health care services and tagged each use case as belonging to 1 of the 3 dominant innovation feature groups that are also associated with practice stages, that is, data standardization, data management, and data integration. Next, we reviewed each group's detailed process and key techniques to build respective care services and collate a complete FHIR PG. Finally, as an example, we arbitrarily selected a use case outside the scope of the reviewed papers and mapped it back to the FHIR PG to demonstrate the effectiveness and generalizability of the PG. The FHIR PG includes 2 core elements: one is a practice design that defines the responsibilities of stakeholders and outlines the complete procedure from data to services, and the other is a development architecture for practice design, which lists the available tools for each practice step and provides direct and actionable recommendations. The FHIR PG can bridge the gap between IGs and the process of building actual services by proposing actionable methods, procedures, and tools. It assists stakeholders in identifying participants' roles, managing the scope of responsibilities, and developing relevant modules, thus helping promote FHIR-based interoperable health care services.

A Review of Palliative Care Service Delivery Models and Patient Outcomes for Adults with Cancer in Selected East and Southeast Asian Countries

Cancer is one of the key leading causes of deaths worldwide, with a disproportionately high burden in Asia in terms of incidence and mortality. Guidelines and recommendations published by the World Health Organization (WHO) state palliative care as an essential service for patients with cancer and other chronic diseases. Currently, there is extensive evidence regarding different models of palliative care delivery. However, development of palliative care services remains fragmented in Asia, and more research is needed to synthesize available models of care in this region and provide the latest evidence-based information for healthcare providers. This narrative review identified 11 peer-reviewed studies published after 2017 that reported both on models of palliative care service delivery and outcomes for adult patients with cancer in selected East and Southeast Asian countries. This review is beneficial by providing a detailed summary of the models of care adopted by these countries, and their impact on patient outcomes. It is hoped that the evidence will also generate momentum for continued conversation around palliative care development in Asia.

Examining the Use of Text Messages Among Multidisciplinary Care Teams to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalization of Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: Protocol for a Secondary Analysis.

Reducing avoidable nursing home (NH)-to-hospital transfers of residents with Alzheimer disease or a related dementia (ADRD) has become a national priority due to the physical and emotional toll it places on residents and the high costs to Medicare and Medicaid. Technologies supporting the use of clinical text messages (TMs) could improve communication among health care team members and have considerable impact on reducing avoidable NH-to-hospital transfers. Although text messaging is a widely accepted mechanism of communication, clinical models of care using TMs are sparsely reported in the literature, especially in NHs. Protocols for assessing technologies that integrate TMs into care delivery models would be beneficial for end users of these systems. Without evidence to support clinical models of care using TMs, users are left to design their own methods and protocols for their use, which can create wide variability and potentially increase disparities in resident outcomes. Our aim is to describe the protocol of a study designed to understand how members of the multidisciplinary team communicate using TMs and how salient and timely communication can be used to avert poor outcomes for NH residents with ADRD, including hospitalization. This project is a secondary analysis of data collected from a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-funded demonstration project designed to reduce avoidable hospitalizations for long-stay NH residents. We will use two data sources: (1) TMs exchanged among the multidisciplinary team across the 7-year CMS study period (August 2013-September 2020) and (2) an adapted acute care transfer tool completed by advanced practice registered nurses to document retrospective details about NH-to-hospital transfers. The study is guided by an age-friendly model of care called the 4Ms (What Matters, Medications, Mentation, and Mobility) framework. We will use natural language processing, statistical methods, and social network analysis to generate a new ontology and to compare communication patterns found in TMs occurring around the time NH-to-hospital transfer decisions were made about residents with and without ADRD. After accounting for inclusion and exclusion criteria, we will analyze over 30,000 TMs pertaining to over 3600 NH-to-hospital transfers. Development of the 4M ontology is in progress, and the 3-year project is expected to run until mid-2025. To our knowledge, this project will be the first to explore the content of TMs exchanged among a multidisciplinary team of care providers as they make decisions about NH-to-hospital resident transfers. Understanding how the presence of evidence-based elements of high-quality care relate to avoidable hospitalizations among NH residents with ADRD will generate knowledge regarding the future scalability of behavioral interventions. Without this knowledge, NHs will continue to rely on ineffective and outdated communication methods that fail to account for evidence-based elements of age-friendly care. DERR1-10.2196/50231.

Modes and models of care delivery in municipal long-term care services: a cross-sectional study from Norway

BackgroundNumerous forces drive the evolution and need for transformation of long-term care services. Decision-makers across the globe are searching for models to redesign long-term care to become more responsive to changing health and care needs. Yet, knowledge of different care models unfolding in the long-term care service landscape is limited. The objective of this article is twofold: 1) to identify and characterise models of care in Norwegian municipal long-term care services based on four different modes of service delivery: Specialised municipal services, Assistive technology, Planning and coordination, and Health Promotion and Activity, and 2) to analyse whether the identified care models vary with regard to municipal characteristics, more specifically ‘population size’ and ‘income’.MethodsWe adopted a cross-sectional approach and used data from a web-based survey conducted in 2019 to identify and characterize models of care in Norwegian long-term care services, based on four modes of service delivery. The questionnaire was developed through a comprehensive review of national healthcare policy documents and previous research and amended in collaboration with a user panel. A set of questions from the questionnaire were used to create four modes of service delivery. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to cluster the municipalities based on the mean scores of the modes to identify care models.ResultsIn total, 277 municipalities (response rate 66%) completed the survey. The four modes made it possible to identify four care models that differ on the level of Specialised municipal services, Assistive technology, Planning and coordination, and Health Promotion and Activity. Additionally, the models differed regarding municipal population size (p < 0.001) and income (p = 0.006).ConclusionsWe put forward a theoretical description of the variety of ways long-term care services are provided, offering a way of simplifying complex information which can assist care providers and policymakers in analysing and monitoring their own service provision and making informed decisions. This is important to the development of services for current and future care needs.