Identifying Effective Nurse-Led Care Transition Interventions for Older Adults With Complex Needs Using a Structured Expert Panel

Background: Nursing plays a central role in facilitating care transitions for complex older adults, yet there is no consensus of the components of nurse-led care transitions interventions to facilitate high quality care transitions among complex older adults. A structured expert panel was established with the purpose of identifying effective nurse-led care transition interventions.

Methods: A modified Delphi consensus technique based on the RAND method was employed. Panelists (n = 23) were asked to individually rate a series of statements derived from a realist synthesis of the literature for relevance, feasibility and likely impact. Statements receiving an aggregate score of ≥75% (7/9) were reviewed and revised at a face-to-face consensus meeting. A second round of rating following the same process as round one was used, followed by a final ranking of the statements.

Results: The five highest ranked intervention components and contextual factors were: (a) educating and coaching patients, their family members and caregivers about self-management skills; (b) ensuring patients, their family members and caregivers are aware of follow-up medical appointments and postdischarge care plan; (c) using standardized documentation tools and comprehensive communication strategies during care transitions; (d) optimizing nurses' roles and scopes of practice across the care transitions spectrum; and (e) having strong leadership, strategic alignment and accountability structures in organizations to enable quality care transitions for the complex older person population.

Linking evidence to action: Key insights on optimizing the nurses' roles and scope of practice during care transitions included having nurses provide "warm hand-offs" and serve as the "go-to person." The panel also identified current challenges to optimizing the nurses' roles and scope of practice across care transition points. Future research is required to determine effective nurse-led intervention components and in which context do they work or do not.