Objectives: To identify patterns and emerging concepts used by assisted living (AL) residents, their families, and the facility staff to describe the care provided by physicians to the AL residents.
Design: Qualitative research and analysis based on audio-taped and transcribed ethnographic interviews with residents, family members, and staff of AL facilities.
Setting: Three AL facilities representing small and traditional AL facilities.
Participants: Forty-three in-depth interviews including 16 AL residents, 13 family members, three facility managers, and 11 staff members.
Measurements: Ethnographic, audio-taped interviews coded by consensus by a doctoral-level analysis team. Coding focused broadly on any references to physicians or doctors in the interviews.
Results: Emergent themes included four major physician-related themes in AL including: magnification of physician authority; disagreements with physician care; physician communication; and continuity/discontinuity of physician care.
Conclusion: Physicians caring for residents of AL facilities should consider how residents, families, and staff stakeholders may influence their patient care for AL residents in terms of their authority, decision-making, communication, and continuity of care.